


Montana Sky

by bowties_Scarves_and_Plaid, ravenj84



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Humor, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Nerdiness, Post-Season/Series 02, Smart Is The New Sexy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-09
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2019-07-28 10:53:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 31,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16240163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bowties_Scarves_and_Plaid/pseuds/bowties_Scarves_and_Plaid, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ravenj84/pseuds/ravenj84
Summary: A new recruit for the Phoenix causes tension between team members as they struggle to adjust to the new dynamic while continuing to face dangerous missions.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First and foremost I owe the world to my co-author bowties_Scarves_and_Plaid without whom this story wouldn't be being posted for you all to enjoy! Second, this is my very first fic to post to AO3...I did some writing back in the day and haven't really done much since. I do always love feedback and constructive thoughts from my readers...so please feel free to leave kudos and comments. :)
> 
> Please note rating may change in future updates.
> 
> Chapter 1 penned by ravenj84

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 1 penned by ravenj84

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/160140480@N02/30619116017/in/dateposted-public/)

_Somewhere in remote Montana…_

“I’m telling you Matilda, we need her.  If Angus won’t come back to the Phoenix, we’re going to have to replace him.”

James could hear the frustration in Matty’s sigh and Matty knew James was right, but she still hated the idea of replacing a valued member of her team.

“Do whatever you think is best. _Sir_.” Matty clipped before hanging up.

James looked down at his phone and angrily whispered, “I can’t believe she just hung up on me!” Shaking his head, he knew he didn’t have time to waste so he slid out of his SUV and began walking toward the large white farmhouse, framed beautifully by the Bitterroot Mountains.

Ros had already been alerted to the SUV and was waiting impatiently at the side of the house for its occupant to exit the vehicle.  _Why do I have a feeling that I’m about to hear another “We Want You!” spiel?_ She thought as she leaned against the house, releasing an exasperated sigh.  She was really growing weary of having her solitude interrupted by people with grandiose ideas of having her come and work for them. Doing contract work while continuing her research at the ranch her mother and step-dad ran was paradise.  It was quiet.  It was peaceful.  And most of all it was virtually stress free.

Giving up on waiting, Ros popped around the side of the house to greet her “guest.”

At roughly 5’6” with long deep auburn tresses, emerald green eyes and porcelain skin, Ros, was a natural beauty.  “Can I help you?”

“Uh yeah.  I’m looking for Rosalind Kent. Do you know where I could find her?”

“That depends on who’s asking,” Ros replied.

“I’m James MacGyver. I work for a privately funded think tank and wanted to discuss a proposition with her.”

“A think tank?” Ros chuckled, “Well that’s a new one.  Usually it’s the standard issue government suits that come all the way up here.  Not ruggedly handsome men donning a leather jacket and khaki cargo pants.”

“Shall I take a number?” asked James with a bit of a wry smile.

Ros guffawed.  “Uh—no. You may be the seventh or eighth person to trek up here in a fancy SUV this month, but you’re the only one here at present.”

 _Interesting._ James thought. He honestly wasn’t sure what to make of Ros’ parade of visitors, but he can’t say that he was too surprised.  From what Riley had been able to dig up on her she was a brilliant mind and a highly skilled resource. He wanted her for the Phoenix.

“Do you know where she is or not?”

Shaking her head and releasing a long sigh, she let her piercing green eyes rake over James.

“You’re lookin’ at her darlin’ and most people around here call me Ros.” Ros said, shifting her weight to her left hip and crossing her arms.  “Disappointed I’m not some old maid holed up in a lab with thirteen cats and zero love life?”

“Uh--not exactly.”

“Then what? I should be spending my days sapping my brain of all original thought while always being at the beck and call of my employer?  Hard pass, thanks.”

“Didn’t say that either.  You assume quite a lot, you know that?”

Turning to walk back toward the house, James followed. Stepping into the cool air was refreshing, the summer had really started to heat up in Montana. Ros poured herself a glass of lemonade but being sure not to forget her manners, she poured one for James.  Looking over the rim of her glass as the perfect blend of lemon and sugar caressed her palette--she gazed at the man in front of her contemplatively.

Ros’ gaze could make even the best agent squirm and pairing that with her silence, _really_ made James internally uncomfortable. “I would like to offer you a job with my organization.”

“Mmmmm…a job offer sounds very different from a proposition.” Ros continued to cloak James with her cool stare.  He would break, right?—just like all the others, she just had to bide her time.

“I lost one of my best field agents and I need a replacement.” 

Ros smiled.  “Sounds pretty lame, Jimmy.  Giving me a fraction of the story in hopes that you can keep what is clearly a massive misstep on your part quiet is no bueno.”

 _No bueno? That sounds like something Dalton would say._ “How—” James started, but then thought better of it as Ros raised a curious eyebrow at him.

“I don’t need to _know_ anything,” she continued. “I just think it’s quite obvious you’re hiding something.”

_Dammit. It’s like being in the same room with Matty. No. Worse._

Looking over at the living room wall from the kitchen island he was leaning on, James cocked his head.  “That’s a lot of books you got there.”  James said trying to change the subject for a moment. 

“Changing the subject won’t pause the inquisition, James, but yes, I am a bit of an avid reader.  What’s your point?”

James shrugged his shoulders in reply.

“Then let’s get back to you telling me more as to why I’m of such high interest to you and what happened to my predecessor?”

“You’re taking the job?”

“Avoidance will only serve to piss me off and I’m in no mood today.” Ros deadpanned.

James lowered his eyes to look at the scuff marks on his weathered boots. “His name is Angus MacGyver and he’s my son.”  Ros remained quiet, so James would continue.  “He left his position, effective immediately, because he said he couldn’t work with someone he couldn’t trust.”

“What happened to make him feel he couldn’t trust you?”

Meeting her eyes James replied, “I never said it was me.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“I left him with my father roughly twenty years ago, just after his mother died, to take on my current position. In essence, I disappeared. He recently found out that I’ve been heading up the organization he worked for.”

Ros stared at him blankly. “That must’ve gone well. Pretty shitty, James.”

“I did it to protect him!” James retorted defensively.

“Mmmm, no, I’m sure it’s more like you couldn’t bear to look at him because he reminded you of your deceased wife. That is a misguided self-preservation tactic, but hey, if you want to believe you did it to “protect” him, then you go right ahead.” Ros said before she took another sip of lemonade.

_It’s like she’s in my head._

“I’m not in your head, Jim-Bo, just stating the obvious.  My mom has always thought I’ve dipped a bit too far into the mentalist pool.  Drives her nuts.” Ros smirked. “Comes with having a keen intellect and a knack for reading people, I suppose.” She concluded with a shrug of her shoulders.

Ros thoughtfully set down her empty glass on the cool white quartz of the kitchen island with a clink and made her way to the aforementioned bookcase.  “You seem like a smart guy, I want you to take a look at something.”

“A test?” Intrigued, James followed her lead. 

“Something like that. Tell me what you see?”

James looked over the monstrosity of a bookcase taking in every detail.  Books and knickknacks adorned each shelf in pristine fashion like soldiers standing guard. “Books and décor placed on each shelf with meticulous precision.”

“Well done Mac and Cheese.” James groaned at the moniker as Ros rolled her eyes. “I’ll make this easier for you. Tell me what you don’t see?”

James looked again, this time studying the bookcase more thoroughly. “ _As You Like It_?”

“Yes, written by William Shakespeare. What of it?”

“It doesn’t have any dust on the binding and I’d venture your namesake was favored by your mother from its heroine?”

“Father, actually.”

James grinned.

Ros reached up and tugged gently on the book’s weathered spine allowing for a small touch screen to lower down from the shelf above.

“Biometric security?” James asked.

Looking back over her shoulder Ros raised her eyebrow with a smirk as she slid her thumb into place.  The bookcase shuddered briefly before sliding open to reveal a dimly lit concrete corridor.  James stared. 

“What? Too Scooby Doo Mysteries?” James shrugged.

Ros led James down the walkway and he noticed the temperature began to cool.  The bookcase door had slid shut behind them with a quiet thud, making the already shadowy corridor even more ominous.  

“Bat Cave?” James asked jokingly in an attempt to break silence.

“Um, no. It was used as a stash house for the Wild Bunch gang back in the 1800s, but Grandpa McGinnis liked to use it for peace and quiet from Grandma as well as hiding his prized bourbon and cigar collection from the ranch hands. Grandpa had trust issues.” Ros said with a wink before continuing, “Currently we’re about six feet under. Once we reach the end of the corridor we’ll be about fifteen feet below the ranch”

“Any chance there might be some bourbon left down here?”

“Not likely. Sam, my step-dad, had what was left all cleared out after Grandpa M. died.  Never had much of a taste for it I guess, and he wanted me to have a place I could work without being disturbed.”  James nodded in interest.

Ros stopped in front of a large metal door with another, much more advanced, biometric keypad mounted to the wall beside it. James felt like he was suddenly standing in front of a bank vault.

“Dare I ask where you even got the money to afford all of these high-tech gadgets?”

“Would you believe I’ve been saving up my allowance?”

Giving a sideways glance at Ros James replied, “No.”

“Didn’t think so.”

Sliding her hand into place on the touch panel while simultaneously lining up her eyes to meet the optical scanner above, the LED light above the door handle quickly glowed green.  Ros opened the door allowing a sliver of blue light to escape from behind, “After you,” she said as she leaned forward with a grand swooping gesture for James to proceed,” “Oh! And no touching.” 

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he said as he stepped through the doorway, but nothing could’ve prepared James for what awaited him.  This place was part biochem lab and part engineer’s paradise. An extensive array of monitors lined every wall illuminating the cavernous space actively displaying an abundance of code and software applications.  In the center of the room there were large tables adorned with microscopes, centrifuges, an autoclave, and a high-performance liquid chromatography apparatus to name a few.

“Did you abscond with the entire MIT lab _and_ half of Silicon Valley?” James asked.

Ros let out another loud guffaw.  “MIT?!,” Ros said incredulously, “Cal-Tech grad, but you already knew that, I’m sure. And no, much of this was paid for via contract work or from university grants when I was working on my thesis.  With a little sweet talking, Cal-Tech was kind of enough to let me keep most of it. Although, I did have to give back the X-ray diffractometer and electron spin resonance spectrometer,” Ros added with a pout.

“What a shame,” James replied sarcastically. “So, what exactly have you been up to down here?”

“This and that, but really this room pretty much functions as the nerve center of McGinnis Ranch.  It monitors every aspect of the property.”

“Ah. In other words, you knew I was here—”

“The moment your SUV turned into the driveway.  Yeah.” Ros finished for James while pointing to her smart watch. “EE keeps me in the loop on everything.”

“EE?”

“EE?” Ros chirped with a smile.

“Yes Rosalind?” replied the British accented voice-controlled AI.

“I would like to properly introduce you to James MacGyver.  He’s visiting from…”

“California.” James added.

“Hello James MacGyver from California. It’s lovely to meet you. My name is EE. May I call you James?”

“Ummm…sure?  EE?”

“Yes, James?”

“Is your name an anagram?”

“Well spotted, James.  EE stands for Eagle Eye.” _Fascinating._

“EE?”

“Yes, Rosalind?”

“What can you tell me about James MacGyver?” Ros asked with a sly grin.  Suddenly every monitor in the lab began running rapid visual search sequences.

“James MacGyver. Born in Mission City, California. Date of birth is unknown. Serves as a U.S. covert operative for an organization that pairs scientists with soldiers. His education is unclear, but he has studied and mastered science, technology, engineering, mathematics and is noted as one of the foremost scientific experts in the world.  James married an unnamed woman in Mission City with whom he had one son, Angus, in 1990.  In 1995, his wife was listed as deceased.”

 _Think tank my ass_. “Is that all EE?” Ros said as she gazed over to James to garner his reaction, but his face revealed nothing.

“Yes, Rosalind.  All other information available is listed as classified or heavily redacted.”

“Thank you, EE.”

“My pleasure, Rosalind.”

James slid his eyes over to Ros and then quietly asked, “EE?”

“Yes, James?”

“What can you tell me about Rosalind Kent?”

The room glowed red. “Rosalind Kent. Classified.”

James let out a wry chuckle. _Clever girl._ “When can you start?”

“How about you tell me more about these trust issues your son seems to have with you, first?”

“Not much else to tell.  I left, he assumed me to be dead, and I didn’t correct his assumption. Like I said before, it was for his safety.”  Ros eyed James from her peripheral. “And I may or may not have played a part in steering his career path toward working for me.”

“You ditch your son for his “safety” after his mother dies AND you played puppet master in regard to his career in order to lead him into your very same line of work?” Ros inquired.  “Dick move.”

“I don’t have to defend my motives to you,” James sniped. 

“You’re right you don’t, but if you even want a prayer of having me work for you--know this James MacGyver--honesty and trust are of the utmost importance to me.  And right now, I can’t say I can put any of mine in you.”

“Goes both ways Ros.  You’re holed up here in the mountains with an AI system that rivals any on the current market doing whatever your heart desires on a whim.  In my eyes that would constitute as a threat to national security.”

Ros smiled.  “That sounds rather short sited to me, Jimmy, but you _could_ be right.  Who’s to say I haven’t taken the plunge into the deep end of cyber terrorism?  But clearly you taking my word for it isn’t an option because like that of Mulder and Scully you trust no one.  And it’s truly no wonder Angus can’t trust you.”

 _Ouch._ “It comes with the job.”

“It doesn’t have to.  You’ve been a lone wolf for too long James.  I think it’s time you rejoined your pack.”  James snorted.  “Forgive the bad analogy…guess Papa Bear has been rubbing off on me a little too much.”

“Papa Bear—?” Ros waived off his question.

“The point I’m trying to make is this, James.  If you want me to come and work for you in sunny California at your super-secret organization so badly, you’re going to agree to my stipulations.”

“This isn’t a negotiation.”

“James,” Ros tsked, “We’re always negotiating. I’ll agree to work for you, but if and only if you manage to get Angus back on your team. I only work with the best and I’m betting your team isn’t exactly at its optimum efficiency right now without him. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”

“If I get my son back on the team then there’s no need to find a replacement.” James replied curtly.

“You’d give up an opportunity to have access to all this and more because I would no longer be a replacement, but an addition?” Ros said gesturing to her lab.  “If that’s the case…”

 _Well she’s got me there._ “Wait.” James interrupted.

“Yeeeees?”

“I’ll see what I can do about Angus.”

“Good. I hope your negotiating skills are far more superior with him than they are with me.  Let me show you out.”  Ros led James to a hidden elevator door at the back of the lab.  “This will take you up to the hay barn.  I’m sure you can find your way back to your car from there.”

James nodded. “I’ll be in touch Ros.”

Ros gave him a crooked smile, turned, and walked back into the lab.

Things were about to get interesting.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 penned by bowties_Scarves_and_Plaid

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/160140480@N02/30619116017/in/dateposted-public/)

James warily climbed the stairs up to his office. He wished that the meeting with Rosalind had gone better. He’d foolishly thought that the fact that she lived on a ranch in the middle of nowhere meant that she led a fairly sheltered life. He’d expected her to be thrilled at the idea of someone coming all the way out to Montana to recruit her.

Oh, how wrong he’d been. Not only had Ros had a steady stream of recruiters, but she didn’t miss a trick. None of his usual strategies to bring in new members had worked on her. She’d seen right through him every time.

As disconcerting as that had been, he knew that she would make a great agent. James knew that she would be a great addition to the team. She had a unique skill set that the team didn’t currently possess. The only problem was that he wasn’t sure if he could do what she had asked of him. James wasn’t sure if Angus would ever trust him again, and he would be risking their already tenuous relationship by trying to force his son to come back to the Phoenix before he was ready.

James walked into his office and flipped on the light. He wasn’t at all surprised to see Matilda Webber sitting in his chair. His phone had been buzzing with messages from her since he’d left Rosalind’s place.

Matty turned around and fixed a slightly bored expression on her face. She didn’t want MacGyver senior to know that she’d been anxiously waiting for him for over an hour. She didn’t appreciate his attempt to replace Mac and she didn’t appreciate the radio silence from his end.

“So?” Matty asked, looking past James and out the door, like she was waiting for someone else to walk in. “Where is she?”

“Still on her ranch,” James said with a tired sigh. He put his stuff down and settled into his chair behind the desk. He could feel Matty’s eyes on him the entire time.

“Oh, so it went well then,” Matty said sarcastically. She could tell from James’ body language that the meeting hadn’t gone as well as he had hoped.

James fixed Matty with an unimpressed stare. He had just about reached his limit of women who could practically read his mind. First Ros and now Matty.

“She’s wicked smart, Agent Webber, and resourceful and clever and I truly believe that she’d be an important addition to the team. Unfortunately, I wasn’t the only one.”

“She’s been recruited by other people?” Matty guessed. She was slightly surprised at the impressed tone to James’ voice. He was not a person who was easily affected, it was one of the things that made him a great agent, but Rosalind seemed to have left an impression after just one meeting.

“It sounds like she’s had many recruiters,” James said. He hesitated slightly before adding the next part, “But that wasn’t the only problem.”

“And what was this other problem?” Matty asked curiosity taking away some of the annoyance in her tone.

“She wants Angus,” James responded. He was watching Matty closely, so he saw the surprise flash across her face before she could stop it.

“How did she know about Mac?” Matty asked one of the many questions that had popped into her head.

“I told her.”

“You told her?” Matty repeated incredulously.

“Yes, she’s...disconcerting, Webber, she’s even better at reading me than you are. She would’ve known the second I told her a lie or a half-truth, so I told her the whole truth.” James spoke with a vulnerability that was unusual. He didn’t like to show any weakness and Matty knew that.

“Why does she want Mac?” Matty asked another one of her questions. James took an object off of his desk and started fiddling with it. Matty’s heart twisted when she saw it was a paperclip.

“Testing my dedication?” James said with a shrug. He wished it was that simple, but he was pretty sure he knew what her real reason was. “Or she wants to find out what kind of man I am before she comes to work for me.”

“Well, you did say she was smart,” Matty said slightly sarcastically. “She is,” James ignored her tone.

“What are you going to do?” Matty asked, apprehension growing inside of her. She was pretty sure that she knew the answer he was going to give, and it wouldn’t be an answer that she’d like.

“I’m going to go talk to Angus,” James said, knowing that he had to give it a try for Rosalind, she was too valuable.

“No.” Matty’s harsh word had James dropping the paperclip and giving her his full attention. He knew Matty well enough to know when she was pissed, and this was one of those times.

“Excuse me?” James said, taken aback by her sudden anger.

“You can’t ask Mac to come back, he said he would come back if and when he was ready. You have to respect that.”

“I don’t have to do anything,” James knew it sounded childish, but he couldn’t help it. Matty’s anger was unwarranted in his mind.

“You can’t ask him to come back,” Matty repeated, ignoring his comment. “With all due respect Matilda, this isn’t your call to make.”

“James,” Matty stood up and walked around the desk so that she was right next to James. It was important that the point she was trying to make got across to him. “Think about this from Mac’s perspective. One of the reasons why he left the Phoenix is because he felt like you’ve been manipulating him his entire life. He had to leave to figure out who he was outside of your influence. How is he going to feel when you come knocking on his door asking him to come back and then he discovers that the only reason why you did that was to recruit another agent? He’s going to feel manipulated and hurt all over again.” 

“I’ll just tell him straight off why I need him to come back,” James said. Angus was a logical boy and James knew that if he fully explained the situation, Angus would rejoin for the good of the team.

“He’ll feel used,” Matty argued. James pushed his chair back from her and stood up in frustration.

“You are looking at this too emotionally,” James said after he paced the room a few times. He had known that Matilda had grown attached to his son, but he hadn’t realized just how attached she had gotten.

“And you aren’t being emotional enough. He’s your son first and foremost for god sake. You   aren’t going to be Oversight asking an agent to return for the good of the team, you are going to be a father ignoring his son’s need for space and independence,” Matty said. There was a time in her career when she would have despised being called emotional, but ever since she had started working at the Phoenix Foundation, her views had changed drastically. The team was a family and they functioned as well as they did because they let themselves care for each other and for everyone they met. Matty had seen each member of her team put themselves at risk for complete strangers because they first and foremost did what they felt was right.

“I’ve given him space, plenty of it, and now it’s time to push him a bit. If we let this go on for much longer, I fear Angus might never come back,” James kept his voice neutral while he spoke, but the thought of his son not coming back to the Phoenix Foundation upset him. He wanted nothing more than to be able to work side by side with Angus.

“I disagree, I think if you push him, he will never come back,” Matty said. James was getting annoyed with her constant arguing. Matty Webber was the only one brave enough to argue with him and speak to him like that, and most days he loved that about her, but today it was just draining.

“I have to try.” 

“Is this Rosalind really worth losing your son over?” Matty wondered, surprised at the lengths James seemed to be willing to go to get this woman on their team. James didn’t answer her question right away, it almost looked like he was actually considering it, but then he shook his head.

“No, nothing’s worth that, but this is close Webber, really close,” James said.

“Doesn’t Mac coming back make his replacement a bit redundant?” Matty asked. James' intensity and honesty were beginning to convince her that Rosalind might really be something special, but she wasn’t quite ready to give in yet.

“She’s not his replacement, she never was. She has a completely different skill set. She will work mostly in the lab, inventing gadgets and such for our agents to use in the field. She will only go out into the field herself occasionally when she is needed.”

“So, it was always your intention to have both Rosalind and Mac on the team?” Matty questioned. She wasn’t surprised that James had withheld this information, but she was a bit annoyed about it.

“Yes, I had just hoped that we would be able to wait Angus out,” James said. He hadn’t realized that Matty had thought that Ros would be Mac’s replacement. That certainly explained why she was being so defensive about the situation.

“Okay, in that case I’ll talk to him,” Matty said as she walked back over to her chair and picked up her coat.

“What?”

“I’ll talk to Mac and get him to come back,” Matty said as she put on her coat.

“No, you will not,” James said in disbelief and Matty froze to fix him with a glare. “It has to be me. It should be me.”

“Did Rosalind say specifically that it had to be you to convince Mac to come back on the team?” “Well no, but-”

“Then I’ll do it,” Matty said and finished putting on her coat.

“Matilda, I’m his father,” James said, slightly confused by the sudden turn this conversation had taken.

“Exactly, do I really have to spell this out for you?” Matty asked. When James gave her a blank look she sighed and sat back down. “Mac wants you to just be his father for the moment. You   guys haven’t had a chance to be father and son since he was little, so this is all very new. Mac wants to figure that out outside of the dynamic of agent and Oversight first. Plus, he’s understandably a little upset that you have been controlling his life without being a part of it. So, you can’t be the one to go and ask him to come back. I, however, have a good personal and working relationship with Mac. He doesn’t like that I knew about you, but I think he still trusts me in a way that he doesn’t trust you yet. I can use our relationship and our trust and explain the situation to Mac and convince him to come back for the good of the Phoenix Foundation.”

James hated that Matty was right. He hated to admit that his son trusted her more than he trusted his own father. He hated to admit that was completely his fault. 

“Okay,” James spoke the word slowly, like it was painful for him to say. Matty was satisfied with his agreement so she stood up once again. “But Matty? Do not tell him any personal information about Rosalind or the details about her conditions to come work with us.”

“You want me to withhold the information that Rosalind won’t work at the Phoenix unless Mac returns?” Matty asked. She knew she shouldn’t be surprised, but she was. Surely James realized how detrimental it would be to their relationship if she lied or gave Mac a half-truth again.

“Yes, that information is need to know and only for high ranking Phoenix agents. All Angus needs to know is that we are in the process of recruiting an asset that will be valuable to the team,” James said. He knew it was a lot to ask of Matty to keep secrets from Mac again, but thus was the nature of their jobs. Mac was technically a civilian and couldn’t know the details about Ros.

“Fine,” Matty said the word harshly. “I won’t tell him anything, but if I can convince Mac to come back, you need to sit down and tell him everything. I am tired of doing your dirty work and having to keep information from those I care about simply because you lack the finesse to fix what you broke.”

“Fair enough,” James spoke softly and calmly, a direct opposition to Matty’s heated words. She knew her anger was justified, and he couldn’t blame her for it. It had always been his intention of telling Mac everything, he just hoped he would get the opportunity.

“I will let you know what he says,” She said. And with that, she headed out the door. Matty was   not thrilled about the idea of trying to convince Mac to come back to Phoenix, but it was much better than the alternative. James seemed hellbent on getting Rosalind on the team and she knew if he talked to Mac he would mess up their very tentative relationship. It was better for her to go and try to convince Mac to come back. But that didn’t mean that it was going to be an easy   or pleasant conversation and Matty was not looking forward to it.

James picked up the paperclip again and bent it back into its original shape, although it was not nearl as perfect as it had once been. He wondered if his relationship with his son would be like that paperclip. Maybe no matter how hard they tried, it would never quite get back to the place it had been before he had left.

James threw the paperclip in the trash and tried not to think of what a mess he’d made of things.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 penned by ravenj84

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/160140480@N02/30619116017/in/dateposted-public/)

Leaning back in the Adirondack chair, Ros gazed up at the stars and smiled.  The Montana sky was extraordinarily clear tonight—the stars twinkling brightly against a sea of obsidian, she couldn’t help but feel insignificant in comparison.  The warm breeze tickled her skin, gently blowing her hair about her face as she turned her eyes back to watch the flames dance in the fire pit.  She truly loved nights like this.  Quiet and calm.  They tended to set her nerves, made ragged by the day, at ease. 

Sipping on her glass of her famous sangria Ros pondered what James had said. _I want to offer you a job with my organization._ He made it sound so easy.  So simple.  But nothing was ever just that. There always seemed to be a catch.  Experience had taught her that and why she had always felt she was better off working alone.

Before Ros could think on James’ visit any further the soothing sounds of _Welcome to the Jungle_ pierced through the evening’s serenity. Looking down at her phone she couldn’t help, but smile.   

“Jack Dalton. How the hell are ya Papa Bear?” she cooed.

“Hey Ros.  How’s my favorite nerd brained scientist doing?”

“I asked you first,” she said with a chuckle.

“Well, you know I’d always like to tell you fan-freakin’-tastic, but—” 

“What happened?!  Something at work again?! Are you hurt?!” Ros could feel worry slinking its way up her spine like a cold chill.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down there darlin’, physically, I’m fine.” Jack paused.  He had never really given any detail to Ros about what he did for a living.  She always had had her suspicions of course, but protocol would never allow him to divulge any specifics.  “I lost my partner.”

“Oh, Jack I’m so sorry. When are the services?  I’ll book a flight tonight.”

“What?! No, no, no. He didn’t die.  Sorry for making it sound so dramatic.  He quit actually.  Just like that.” Jack snapped his fingers. “Effective immediately.”

“But why?”

“The Bossman pushed him to his breaking point.  I can’t say that I blame him to be honest, but I’m just not sure what to do.  Maybe I should just quit.  It’s not the same without him.”

“The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed.”

“You’ve been reading one too many fortune cookies.” Jack said, and Ros laughed.

“Possibly, but the point is valid, Jack, you don’t give up on something you love just because one part of it is gone.”

“He’s a pretty big part though Rosalind.”

“Ummm…is there something you need to tell me Papa Bear?  Are you and this partner of yours…well…ya know?” Ros trailed off.

“Wait. What?! NO! It’s not like _THAT_ Ros. Jeeze!”

“Okay, okay.  No need to get so defensive.” Ros giggled.

“He’s the glue that holds our team together.  Without him—I dunno…I just can’t see how it’ll work.  We’re falling apart at the seams.”

“That sounds highly co-dependent, Jack.  The Jack Dalton I know can conquer the world without needing someone to back him up.”

“Yeah well.  Being a lone wolf sucked and now that I’ve joined a pack, I don’t think I can go back to the way I was.”

“Where do you dig up those cheesy euphemisms?”

“Euphe-what?”

“Never mind,” Ros said rolling her eyes. “All I can suggest is that you talk to him.  Tell him what you just told me.  Your sincerity of truth might just get through to him.” 

“That’s just it though, I have.  He’s really pretty thick headed.”

“I know you’ve gotten out of much tougher situations than this.  Try again.”

“Maybe,” Jack trailed off.  “Not to change the subject or anything, but have you had anymore creepers coming up your way lately?”

“Hardy har-har, Jack.  They’re not creepers, but to answer your question, yes, I’ve had one.  Today as a matter of fact.”

“Going to take ‘em up on their offer?”

“Only if he can meet my stipulation.”

“Do you think he will?” Jack inquired. 

“Not sure to be honest.  My brain says no way, but my gut makes me think he wants me working for him bad enough that he might just be able to swing it.”

“Hmmmmm…just be careful, Ros.”

“I know, Papa Bear, I know.”

“Your mom and Sam doing okay?”

“Yeah.” Ros said looking down at her smart watch to check the time. “They should be back from the cattle drive any minute actually.”

“Well I’m going to let you go then.  Thanks for lending an ear Ros.”

“Anytime and hey, think about what I said, huh?  Talk to him again.  This partner of yours might surprise you.”

“I will.  G’night.”

“Bye, Jack.”

As Ros ended the call she could just make out the soft footfalls behind her over the snap and crackle of the fire. “Your ears must have been burning, Mom.  Jack was just asking about you and Sam.”

Margaret McGinnis was a stunning beauty. Even after a long cattle drive, covered in dust, dirt and sweat, she could still somehow manage to look glamorous. “How is old Jack these days?”

“Pretty good, I think.  Just needed a friendly ear to work through some stuff.” 

Ros passed her glass of sangria to Margaret for her to have a sip. “Mmmmm.  Always perfect.  Thank you.” Ros nodded nonchalantly staring back into the flames.  “Anything exciting happen while we were away?”  Without her wine glass to hold, Ros’ hands were free to fidget, a nervous habit she couldn’t seem to break.  Where was a paperclip when she needed one?  Margaret placed a hand over Ros’ fidgeting ones in an attempt to comfort, but Ros quickly withdrew them away.

“You could say that I guess.”

“More visitors?”

“Yes.”

“Are you going to elaborate, or do I have to drag it out of you, Rosalind?”

Ros let out an exasperated sigh. “One visitor.”

“Aaaaaand?” Margaret drawled.

“I showed him my lab.”

Margaret’s eye snapped to Ros in surprise. “You’ve never—”

“I know.”

“Must’ve been someone special.”

“He peaked my interest.  I’ll give him that much.”

“Another government errand boy?”

“Definitely government, but he didn’t seem like the errand boy type.”

“Did he offer you a job?”

“He did.” 

“Are you going to take it?”

“Not sure.  He has a stipulation he has to meet first.”

“You and your stipulations Rosalind.  You really need to work on getting out of your own way.”

“Please don’t start _mother_. What I have going for me right now suits me just fine.”

“And what did _Jack_ have to say about that?  I assume you discussed this with him as well.” Margaret's voice held an edge in her questioning.

“All he asks is that I’m careful.  I’m pretty sure he just doesn’t want to see me hurt.”  Ros replied coolly, bringing her gaze to match Margaret’s.  “He’s seen enough of that.”

“That’s the past, Rosalind. Your future--”

“For you, maybe.” Ros interrupted her anger bubbling to the surface. “I can’t say that I can forget it as easily as you seem to have.”

Margaret glared at her daughter. “I have not forgotten losing my husband, Rosalind.  Things weren’t easy for me and you know that.”

“I lost him too!  He was my _father_!  And instead of continuing to love and care for me, you acted as if I no longer existed.  I was only five years old!  So, don’t make insinuations about my future when you’ve had virtually no hand in it.”

With tears gathering in her eyes, Margaret looked away from Ros, her daughter’s bitterness and anger pushing down on her chest like a heavy weight. “I know I made mistakes, but please understand that I have lived with the regret of failing you as a mother every day since.  I only want what’s best for you.  So, can you please at least meet me half way?  I’m not asking you to forget.  I’m just asking you to be in the here and now and to stop isolating yourself from everyone and everything.” Margaret stood slowly, the aches and pains of a long cattle drive settling deep into her bones.  Turning to walk back toward the house she saw Ros’ head hung low with hot tears trailing down her cheeks.

“I’m sorry I--” Ros trailed off, her voice barely above a whisper. 

“Me too,” Margaret replied. “Me too.”

Why Rosalind always managed to pick a fight with her mother she couldn’t understand.  Yes, the past was the past, but it always seemed to come charging back to the present anytime her mother tried giving sound life advice.  She wanted to let it all go more than anything, but the hurt continued to chip away at her resolve.  Maybe distance was the answer. If she took the job that James had proffered perhaps she could finally get over the past.  There was only one way to know for sure and that was to wait for James MacGyver to prove he was a man of his word.

***

Ros lay in bed, wide awake, staring at the ceiling. Strange shadows danced about as the moonlight peeked through the limbs of the old oak tree just outside her bedroom window.  Sleep always eluded Ros when she had too much running through her mind and tonight was no exception.  Peering over at her cell she groaned. 2 A.M.  Getting out of bed with a huff she threw on her well-worn Cal-Tech hoodie and padded downstairs to the kitchen.  Perhaps tea would calm her mind enough to allow the Sandman to work his magic.

Opening the screen door with a squeak as she moved out on to the front porch, Ros was careful not to let it slam behind her. Her steaming cup of tea in hand she took perch in one of the weathered rocking chairs and stared out into the inky darkness.  The ranch was so calm at this hour and it began to slow Ros’ racing thoughts up until the moment her phone chimed.  Setting down her mug on the table beside her, she picked up the device, the sudden glow of the screen nearly blinding her, she squinted allowing her eyes to adjust to read the text message.

_It’s done. Contract is in your inbox. You start next Monday, 7 A.M. sharp. -J.M._


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4 penned by bowties_Scarves_and_Plaid

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/160140480@N02/30619116017/in/dateposted-public/)

Matty took a deep breath and steeled herself as she knocked on the door. This was not going to be an enjoyable conversation at all and she really wished that she didn’t have to have it.

Jack swung open his front door in annoyance. It was late, and he had just settled into his bed for the night when the knocking had started. The annoyance turned into surprise and concern when his gazed skimmed down to meet his boss’s. 

“Director Webber?” Jack asked in shock, wishing suddenly that he’d taken time to put on a shirt. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, and everybody’s safe,” Matty assured her agent quickly. “Can I come in?” She prompted when Jack simply stood gawking at her.

“Oh,” he moved aside and gestured for her to come in. Matty walked over to his couch and sat down on it. Following her lead, Jack sat in a chair next to her. “So, if nothing is wrong, then why are you at my door at half past midnight?” Jack questioned. Matilda Webber did not often make house calls and she never ever made them for no reason. Jack had a sneaking suspicion that he knew why she was there, he was just hoping that he was wrong.

“I need you to tell me where Mac is,” Matty said as gently as possible, hoping that would soften the blow of what she was asking.

“I don’t know where he is,” Jack lied smoothly. He was a pretty good liar when he wanted to be, but Matty could always see right through him.

“We both know that’s not true. I know we all agreed to give Mac his space, but it is important that I find him and talk to him,” Matty said, her gentle tone taking on a more intense edge.

“Talk to him about what?” Jack asked and Matty inwardly flinched.

“I can’t tell you that Jack,” She said and watched as Jack’s expression closed off. He stood up and walked towards the bedroom. Matty waited on the couch for a few minutes, not really sure if that was his way of telling her to hit the road. 

She released the breath she’d been holding when Jack came back out, now wearing a t-shirt. He sat back down and fixed her with an intense look. Matty simply raised her eyebrow at him and Jack gave a deep sigh. 

“If I am going to argue with you, I would like to do it with my shirt on,” he said simply. He didn’t look forward to having to argue with Matty, but he knew that was where they were heading.

“Fair enough, but I don’t want to argue with you,” Matty said.

“I don’t want to argue with you either, but if you aren’t going to tell me why you need to talk to him, then there is no way I am telling you where Mac is,” Jack said. Even though it had hurt when Mac had left, and insisted on leaving him behind, Jack would still do anything to protect the kid.

“You still don’t trust me,” Matty said softly. It wasn’t a question and Jack didn’t miss the flash of hurt that crossed her face. Jack remembered the last argument they’d had inside the interrogation room at the Phoenix. That one had also been about Mac and in the end, it had turned out that Matty really was doing the best she could for Mac.

“I don’t trust Oversight, whom I believe is the one who sent you, because we all agreed to give Mac his space, and Matilda Webber is a woman of her word,” Jack’s tone had a bite, but it didn’t bother Matty too much. She knew that most of his anger was directed towards James MacGyver and the situation in general.

“I was sent by Oversight,” Matty didn’t bother denying it. Jack wouldn’t believe her if she did. “Tell me why. Tell me why and I will consider telling you where Mac is,” Jack responded.

“All I can tell you is that I am doing what I am doing for the good of the Phoenix,” Matty knew that it wasn’t really an answer, but it was all she could give him. Until everything with Ros was finalized, she wasn’t allowed to tell him that they were recruiting her. She also wasn’t sure how Jack would respond to knowing that she was going to try to get Mac back just so that they could recruit another person. Matty herself felt a little sick about it.

“That’s all James cares about, isn’t it? The good of the Phoenix,” Jack practically spat. He stood up and started pacing. He got agitated every time he thought about what James had done to Mac. 

“No, Jack, it’s not,” Matty said with a sigh. “Look, I know that he has been probably the worst father in the world, but I can assure you that he cares about Mac.”

“He has a funny way of showing it,” Jack grumbled.

“Yes, he does. He and Mac are very similar, they both have huge brains that sometimes can get in the way. The difference being that Mac lets his heart rule him while James lets his head rule him. James doesn’t often take emotions into consideration when making a logical decision,” Matty tried to explain.

“But Mac is his son,” Jack said, emphasizing the last word.

“I know Dalton!” Matty’s voice raised as she grew impatient. “And trust me, I almost quit my position as James’ handler when I found out what he planned to do to Mac.”

“Why didn’t you?” Jack asked. It wasn’t an accusation, he was genuinely curious.

“Because I believed in the good James could do for the world. And he would’ve done it with or without me, and I thought that I could talk some sense into him eventually.” 

“How’d that go for you?” Jack said with a humorless laugh.

“Not so well, look Jack, I can’t tell you why I need to talk to Mac, but I can tell you that it’s important. And I can tell you that if I don’t succeed in finding him, Oversight will take it into his own hands. I am trying to do what is best for Mac, and right now that is me going to talk to him. I think the last thing either of us want is for James to be the one to find Mac,” Matty didn’t voice her fear that if James talked to Mac, it might lead to Mac never rejoining the Phoenix.

“Are you going to try to bring him home?” Jack asked, emotion filling his voice at the idea. “Jack, I-”

“Right, right, you can’t tell me,” Jack interrupted. He studied Matty, considering his options. He knew that Matty could’ve found Mac on her own, and that she still could. Jack knew that she’d come to ask him out of respect. She didn’t want to go behind his back again.

It was this reason, more than the threat of James finding Mac first, that had Jack agreeing. “Okay, I’ll tell you where he is.”

***

Mac had his back to her when she pulled up. Matty was surprised he didn’t turn around until she got out of the car and heard the loud sound of the electric saw. It was so loud he hadn’t heard the sound of the car tires crunching the stones and sticks that littered the driveway.

Mac’s mind was blessedly blank as he cut wood. He loved this work because it allowed him to think of nothing other than the task at hand. He finished cutting the piece and turned around. His eyes fell on the car first and his entire body went into high alert. He held the piece of wood in his hands like a bat as he searched for the intruder.

“Mac,” Matty took a step forward, bringing his alarmed eyes over to her.

“Matty?” He relaxed his body, but his blue eyes remained suspicious, not that Matty could really blame him.

Mac had known someone would come for him eventually. His team was not going to let him hide out here forever, but he was surprised that it was Matty. She was pretty much the last team member he would’ve expected. That made him apprehensive. He was sure Matty had a specific reason for coming and he was sure that he wasn’t going to like it.

“Hey Mac, you look good,” Matty said brightly, and it was true, He looked less stressed and better rested than Matty had ever seen him. His hair was longer, and he had some scruff going on, but he had gotten a slight tan, so he no longer looked so pale.

“Matty, it’s good to see you,” Mac said because no matter the circumstance, it was really good to see her again. He set down the piece of wood and strode over and gave her a tight a hug, surprised at how much he’d missed her.

Matty returned the embrace melting away the slight awkwardness that had been hanging in the air since she arrived.

“This place is looking good,” Matty said as they pulled away. 

She’d honestly thought Jack was messing with her when he told her that Mac was currently at his dad’s old cabin. First of all, the cabin had burned down, and second of all, Matty had thought Mac would want to be as far away from anything that reminded him of his father as possible.

Yet here he was, well on his way towards rebuilding his father’s cabin. “Thanks,” Mac said, looking up at the cabin. “It’s definitely getting there.”

“Why here?” Matty asked before she could stop herself. Her curiosity had been killing her the whole drive up. Mac raised his eyebrows at her abrupt question, but answered her anyway.

“It wasn’t a conscious decision really. I was just driving around, not really thinking about where I was going, I just knew that I wanted out of L.A., and suddenly I realized that I was heading here. I made this drive a lot during the months I was searching for my father, so I think muscle memory just took over and brought me here,” Mac said with a shrug. 

“Okay, and why did you stay?” 

“I guess the idea of rebuilding something that my father had burned down seemed appealing to me,” Mac said, his voice sounding casual to the point of it being forced. Matty knew there was a lot of hidden meaning in what Mac had just said.

Matty struggled to come up with a response to that and failed. Before she could think about what to say to him, Mac bent down and picked up the discarded piece of wood. He turned away from her and walked to the far side of the cabin. Matty sighed when she heard the sound of hammering. She took a deep breath and started to pick her way through the construction site over to where Mac was.

Mac knew he was being rude, and, in most circumstances, he would never dream of turning his back on Matty, but he wasn’t sure if he could handle the conversation they were about to have. Even thinking about all that his father had done made him upset, he couldn’t imagine actually going back and working for that man.

“Mac?” Matty called over the hammering. He stopped and turned around to face her. 

“What are you really doing here Matty?” He asked in a tired   voice.

“I think you know, but I was hoping we could talk over some food. I saw a little diner a few miles down the road,” Matty offered hopefully. 

Mac really wanted to say no. He really wanted to just turn back to his work and forget that Matty was ever there, but he respected her too much for that. Mac owed it to Matty to at least hear her out.

“I could eat,” He said and knew he’d made the right choice when a big smile spread across Matty’s face.

Matty caught Mac up on what had been happening with the team as they ate. She left out the details about how Bozer had looked like he’d cried for weeks, how distant Riley had become, and how Jack hadn’t gotten a good night's sleep since he’d left. Instead she told him about the funny moments that had happened and their successes on missions.

Mac listened to her with a smile and asked her a few questions. They kept the topics light and away from anything relating to his father. Mac knew that they were both stalling for time. He and Matty both wanted to enjoy seeing each other for a little while before they had to get into the heavy topics.

Finally, over dessert and coffee, Matty decided it was time. 

“As good as it is to catch up with you, Mac, we both know that this isn’t a social call,” She said as she prepared to dive right in.

“You want me to come back,” Mac said, looking down at the coffee cup in his hands. “Yes,” Matty held back saying anything more, wanting to see how he would react first.

“Why now? What happened?” Mac knew there had to be a very specific reason for why it was Matty asking him to come back and why she had come to his dad’s cabin that morning. 

“It’s time for you to come back, Mac. You can’t keep hiding out here forever. The team needs you.”

“I-” Mac started to deny the fact that he was hiding but cut himself off. That was exactly what he had been doing. “It’s more than that,” He said instead. 

“Yes, it is, but I want you to know that I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think it was time for you to come back. You’ve been here for months, Mac, I know a part of you is itching to get back into the action. Plus, the world needs your skills. Our team is just not operating at full capacity    without you,” Matty said honestly. Above all else, she didn’t want Mac to think that she was just using him to get Rosalind on the team. Mac was important to her and he was much bigger than a chess piece. 

“I’ve enjoyed these months of not getting shot at,” Mac said to deflect. He didn’t want to admit that he did miss the adrenaline rushes that came from getting out of a tight situation or saving lives.

“This isn’t who you are Mac. You are meant to be out there making the world a better place. I’d even be okay if you were working in a lab or something...but this? Living on your own, hidden away from the world, and focusing all of your impressive talents on building a house? That’s not you, Mac,” Matty said, hoping that she wasn’t pushing him too far. She knew that it was going to take some tough love, but too much tough love might just send Mac into hiding again.

“I don’t even know who I am Matty,” Mac said in frustration. “My entire life has been shaped and influenced by my father without me even knowing. I might be a completely different person today if it weren’t for his meddling. A part of me doesn’t want to go back simply because I know that’s what he wants.”

“Mac, look at me,” Matty said because Mac was currently talking to his coffee cup. Mac looked up at her, his blue eyes so full of pain that she couldn’t help but sigh in frustration. She couldn’t stand the fact that James MacGyver’s actions had caused Mac to doubt himself. “Mac, your   father may have set some things up for you, but you are the one who said yes. No one forced   you to join DXS, you said yes because that is the kind of person you are. You are brilliant and could easily have made millions of dollars off of some invention or scientific breakthrough by now, but instead you chose to go into the army, and you chose to become and agent. Because you have a heart bigger than anyone I’ve ever seen, and you want to help people. I don’t agree with James actions, but they did give you a way to use your smarts and save lives.”

Matty finished up the speech that she may or may not have rehearsed on the car ride there. She had known that one of Mac’s biggest obstacles would be the fact that his father had manipulated him into working for the Phoenix. She wanted Mac to know that even if he hadn’t joined DXS, he probably would have joined something similar.

“You’re right, I did really love working for the Phoenix. And I really miss the team and getting a chance to do some good and help people. But I need you to answer two questions before I even think about coming back,” Mac said, holding her gaze intently. Matty knew that her answers to his questions would make or break his decision to come home. 

“What are they?” 

“Why are you the one here to get me and why now?” Mac said, asking the questions that he had tried to ask her in the beginning of the conversation. He had noticed how she had skillfully evaded answering before, but now he needed an answer.

“The Phoenix needs to acquire a highly valuable asset,” Matty said, knowing full well that Mac wanted more information and desperately wishing she could give it to him.

“That’s awfully vague,” Mac said with a frown. 

“I realize that, but even I don’t know the full scale of her value. I’m giving you the information I have.”

“Her?” It sounds like she is my replacement,” Mac said cooly. He’d known of course that the Phoenix would have to replace him but knowing it and hearing Matty talk about it were two different things.

“Not from my understanding. She is meant to be an addition,” Matty said, hoping that Mac would believe her.

“Why are you bringing in someone from the outside? I assumed you would promote someone from the Phoenix, like Leanna or Jill,” Mac said, not liking the idea of a stranger joining the team.

“Jill got promoted in a different way. She’s been heading up a task force to hunt down our old friend Murdoc. And Leanna was sent on an assignment by the CIA,” Matty answered. Those two would’ve been her first choices to join the team as well.

“So, you’ve been forced to look outside of Phoenix for my replacement,” Mac said in a resigned tone.

“She’s an addition,” Matty reminded him.

“And who’s feeding you this information? Oversight?” Mac said the last word with disdain.

“Yes, and I believe your father.” Matty knew that her words were probably not comforting to Mac and she knew they had a chance to backfire, but she wanted to be honest with him. He deserved that after all James had put him through. “James really wants you to come back and work with him.”

“That is never going to happen,” Mac said in a clipped tone.

“Mac…” Matty paused for a moment to gather her thoughts. “I truly believe that your father originally intended for this asset to be an addition to the team. He never stopped hoping you would come back, but at some point, he had to start coming to terms with the reality that you might be gone for good. So, when he went to recruit her it was with the intention of making her your replacement. But before that happened, we wanted to try one more time to get you back on the team, and if you return, she is back to being an addition.”

“Okay, it still seems to me that my father is trying to use me like a chess piece again,” Mac pointed out. It sounded to Mac like Oversight was simply trying to build the perfect team and didn’t really care about the emotions involved. The thought of his father trying to manipulate him caused a wave of anger to wash over him.

“Fair enough,” Matty said and decided that honesty was once again the best policy. “That’s why I insisted on coming. Because I knew that I would have your best interests in mind and I couldn’t trust your father to do the same. Look, bottom line is that I want you back. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think this asset would be imperative to the future successes of our missions, and I think she could truly help you all save a lot of lives. But that being said, it is more important to me to do right by you, and I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think you rejoining the team was the right   move.” 

Mac looked back down at his empty coffee cup and considered everything Matty had told him. There were a lot of pros and a whole lot of cons to weigh. On one hand he really missed the team and the thought of going back brought a lump to his through. Matty had also appealed to his compassionate side when she talked about how much good this new asset could do. On the other hand, his father was still Oversight and he still hated the thought of working for someone he couldn’t trust. He also didn’t want to go back because he knew that was what his father wanted. This last reason was petty, but it still made its way onto his mental list.

Matty sat in silence and watched the wheels turn in Mac’s brain. She sipped her coffee and gave him time to go over all of the information she’d given him. Matty couldn’t tell what way Mac was leaning and that frustrated her. She really didn’t want to leave without Mac. His absence had been noticeable before, but now that she had seen him and gotten so close to bringing him back, going home and running missions without him would be unbearable.

“It’s bad enough that I have been hiding away, I don’t also want to be the cause of another person not being a part of the Phoenix,” Mac said softly after a long period of silence.

“Does that mean you will come back?” Matty asked, barely hoping to believe it. “I will, but under one condition.”

“Name it.”

“I know a part of this job is that sometimes you won’t be able to give me all of the information, but if I ever catch my father or you lying to me again, I will be done. For good this time,” Mac said seriously. He knew that Matty had been under orders and that she’d been trying to lead him to his father, but it still hurt like hell to know that she’d been able to stand there and lie right to his face about knowing his father. Mac had been able to forgive her, but he didn’t want to forget it, and he certainly didn’t want to repeat it. And as for his father, well Mac still wasn’t sure if he could trust a word coming out of his mouth.

“I can promise that, and I will get James to promise it as well,” Matty said quickly. She was glad to hear that his condition hadn’t been something too crazy. It might take some convincing, but she was pretty sure she could get James to agree to Mac’s condition. As for herself, she never wanted to lie to Mac ever again.

“Then you, Matilda Webber, have a full team,” Mac said with a smile. Matty reached across the table and put her hand over Mac’s as a smile of her own spread across her face. 

“It’s good to have you back, Mac.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 5 penned by ravenj84 and bowties_Scarves_and_Plaid

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/160140480@N02/30619116017/in/dateposted-public/)

Ros didn’t quite know what to make of James’ text, but she knew she had made the right decision when she had sent him the affirmative.

The short amount of time Ros had left in Montana had been spent making phone calls to different apartment complexes, packing frantically, and ensuring everything would still be running smoothly at the ranch after her departure. 

Slamming the tailgate of her old Ford Bronco--packed to the brim--with a thud, Ros turned to see her mom and Sam making their way over.

“Got everything you need kiddo?” Sam’s deep voice rumbled as he wrapped a comforting arm around Margaret’s slender frame.  It was just before sunrise and Ros wanted to get on the road to put as many miles behind her as possible.

“Yeah, I think so.  If not, I’ll just have you guys ship it to me in California once I’m settled.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you sweetie?  It’s such a long drive.”

“Thanks Mom, but I’ll be okay.  It’ll give me plenty of time to get my head in the game.  I have a feeling Monday is going to be stressful to say the least.” Ros said with a smile.

Margaret dashed over to Ros to engulf her in a bone crushing hug. “I’m going to miss you so much Rosalind.” Margaret muffled into her daughter’s soft tresses.

“I’ll miss you too mom.  Sam?” Ros called, looking her step-father straight in the eyes as Margaret begrudgingly pulled away. “Take good care of her, okay?” 

“Yes ma’am.  You can be sure I will.” Sam offered in reply.

Ros opened the driver’s side door, the rusty metal groaning. She looked back at her mom and Sam one last time before climbing into the Bronco and revving it to life. Waving as she drove away from the place she had called home for so long, Ros couldn’t help the tears that briefly pricked her eyes.  Change was hard, but the opportunity to be a part of something greater than herself was overtly more thrilling than keeping with the status quo.  Taking a cleansing breath as she reached the end of the driveway, Ros decided to crank up her music and head toward what was surely to be the greatest adventure of her life.

***

It was 6:00 am and Ros still had an hour before she was required to report to James.  She knew she would be early, but she couldn’t help the excitement that pushed her out the door.  The copious amounts of coffee she’d imbibed didn’t exactly do much to slow her down either.

The air in LA felt heavier to Ros as she sucked in a deep breath while standing outside the massive office building masquerading as a think tank.  She wasn’t sure if it was her nerves or the constant presence of smog that blanketed the city that made her feel a tad claustrophobic.  Steeling her nerves, Ros grasped the handle to the front entrance, and made her way through the security checkpoint without incident.  Reception handed Ros her shiny new security badge and directed her to the basement floor where her lab was located.

There were people milling about the corridors, but none seemed to be interested in the pretty little thing roaming the halls in search of her new office.  Ros was grateful for that.  She wasn’t sure her nerves could handle a Spanish Inquisition on her first day. 

Catching her reflection in the elevator doors, Ros was now second guessing the onyx tuxedo cigarette pants and emerald green blouse she donned with her ALDO Laralilla black pumps.  Initially Ros had thought she’d looked smart, but now she felt like she stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the throng of lab coats.

“You’re here early.” Ros whirled around to be met with James MacGyver’s smiling face.

“Uh yeah.  I was starting to wear holes in the hardwood of my apartment with all my pacing, so I figured I’d make myself useful here instead.” Ros replied with a nervous smirk.

James nodded in understanding.  “Alright.  Then let me show you to where you’ll be working and then I’ll introduce to the team at 9:00.”

“Sounds good.” Ros replied as she followed James down the brightly lit hallway.

“Get settled in okay?” Ros chuckled not sure of what to make of James’ attempt at small talk. “What’s so funny?”

“I just never pegged you as the small talk type.  Are you going to ask me about the weather next?”

 James chortled.  “Uh no.  But I would like to know how long it would take you to get EE up and running here at the Phoenix.”

“A full system integration?”

“Yes.”

“That depends.  You got a computer genius lurking around here that could break down your current code and work with me to merge it into EE’s operating system?”

James gave Ros a sly smile. “I think I might know of someone.”

“If that’s the case then I could have EE implemented within 36 hours.  I purposefully engineered her to be an intuitive system so integrations would be quick and seamless.”

“Music to my ears.”

“And mine.  When I created EE, I didn’t think I’d ever have the opportunity to have her operating on such a grandiose scale.  I kind of feel like I just won the nerd lottery.”

“Well then this should be the proverbial icing on the cake.” James said while gesturing to the lab doors in front of him.  “After you.”

Ros’ eyes went as wide as saucers when she took in everything splayed out before her.  The lab was bright, clean, and organized.  Just how she liked it.  “Is that an X-ray diffractometer and electron spin resonance spectrometer?!”

“I vaguely recall someone saying they missed having those in their lab, so I made sure we had them here.”

Before Ros could stop herself, she found her arms wrapped around James in an unyielding hug of both excitement and gratitude.  “This is perfect!” Ros exclaimed.

“Uh…am I interrupting something?” a soft timbered voice asked.

Ros released James immediately and they both turned to see a young woman with flowing strawberry blond hair and dark rimmed glasses giving them a look of curiosity.

“Jill.  Good morning.  I’d like you to meet our new head of R&D, Rosalind Kent.  Rosalind this is Jill Morgan.”

Ros extended her hand to Jill. “It’s a pleasure to meet you and please, call me Ros.”  Jill looked at Ros’ proffered hand a beat too long before reciprocating the hand shake and Ros tried not to be unnerved.

“The pleasure’s all mine, Ros.” Jill replied with a shy smile, glancing over at James briefly then back to Ros.  “I’m sure you’ll love working here as much as I do.  And I’m sorry I can’t stay and chat, I just needed to grab a file before my morning briefing.” 

“Anything new to report?” James inquired.

“Not yet, but I feel like we’re getting close.  Murdoc may think he’s smart, but I’m confident I’ll beat him at his own game soon enough.” Jill added with a wink before turning to walk back out of the lab.

“She seems nice.”

“Yeah.  Jill’s a good egg.  She used to work down in the lab, but Director Webber and I both felt she would be better suited for heading up a special task force that focused on tracking down criminal masterminds.  Oddly enough she has a knack for it.”  Ros nodded in approval.  “Back here will be your office.  If there’s anything you need just let me know and I’ll make sure you get it.  I have to go take care of a few of things before you to meet the rest of the team.  So, feel free to get settled in here and come up to the war room on the 5th floor at 9:00.  Welcome to the Phoenix, Ros.”

“Thanks.”

***

9:00 o’ clock came faster than Ros thought it would.  She had met some of the other lab techs as they trickled in around 8:00; all of which had been welcoming and were excited to hear about some of the projects she wanted to partner with them on in the coming weeks and months.  Not to mention the “toys” she had brought with her and would be unloading later. 

At 8:45 one of the newer lab techs, Sam, offered to escort her to the war room.  Ros was extremely grateful for the offer because she’d already found the Phoenix to be quite the labyrinth.  Being late on her first day to meet her field team wouldn’t bode well in the grand scheme of first impressions.

“Rumor has it that you’ll be working with the infamous Angus MacGyver. I take it you haven’t met him yet?” Sam inquired as they entered the elevator. 

“So, I’m told and no, I haven’t met him yet.”  She had only gleaned so much from James and the other techs about Angus MacGyver and she was hoping to formulate her own opinions sooner rather than later.

Stepping out of the elevator Ros followed Sam as he led her down yet another corridor to the war room, finally stopping outside a room encased in hazy glass where she could just make out the silhouettes of a small group of people inside. Suddenly Ros’ throat felt very dry and her stomach roiled. _Shouldn’t have had that third cup of coffee._

“You look like you’re about to puke.” Touching Ros’ shoulder comfortingly.

Ros let out a guttural laugh drawing the eyes of some of the other people walking past. “Swell. That’ll make for a stellar first impression won’t it?” 

Sam chuckled.  “Naw…you’ll be great I’m sure of it.”

***

“Do you think he’s grown?” Jack asked as he nervously paced back and forth across the war room. Riley and Bozer were sitting in the chairs, but they were obviously just as nervous as Jack. Bozer’s leg was jiggling up and down enough to shake the entire floor, and Riley was fiddling with a paperclip that she’d taken out of the bowl that still sat on the table.

“No, Jack, I don’t think he’s grown,” Riley said with a roll of her eyes.

“Do you think his hair is longer? Maybe he even has a beard, or maybe-” Jack started rambling and Riley cut him off.

“Jack,” She stood up and walked over to him, putting a hand on his arm to still his pacing. “He is still going to be the same Mac we know and love,” She said, speaking to Jack’s true fear.

“A lot can happen in a few months, Riles,” Jack said. It made him nervous that Mac hadn’t come back entirely on his own terms. What if Mac resented Matty bringing him back? What if he resented Jack for telling her where he was? Or even worse, what if Mac’s months away had changed him and he wasn’t the same person he’d been when he’d left.

“Jack, I have gone longer periods of time without seeing Mac,” Bozer said, now standing up and walking over to join the pair. “The worst was when he went off to war, because I had no idea what he was experiencing over there, or how to help him cope with it when he got back. He was a changed person when he came back from war, I think everybody probably is. But even though he was more serious, and had a lot more emotional scars, underneath it all, he was still the same Angus MacGyver I had grown up with,” Bozer paused, searching for the right words. 

“Look,” he continued. “What I am trying to say is the things we know and love about Mac are hardwired into him. His intelligence, his ingenuity, his kindness, his compassion, his lack of selfishness. Those are all just who Mac is, and if the horrors of war couldn’t change that, then a few months away certainly aren’t going to,” Bozer finished and was surprised when a slightly teary Jack threw his arms around him. Bozer had always loved Jack’s hugs so he returned the embrace immediately.

“Thanks, Boze, that helps,” Jack said when he pulled away. He wasn’t ashamed as he wiped a tear away. He’d never been a man who was afraid to show his emotions.

Riley had a hand on each of their arms and had emotion shining in her own eyes. “I hope he gets here soon,” she said impatiently. They had made it so the normally clear windows of the war room were now opaque. They had made this decision to give them a bit of privacy when Mac arrived, but Riley was now regretting it. She hated not being able to see when Mac was arriving.

Her anxiety got the best of her, so she went back to her seat and pulled out her laptop. She was just pulling up the Phoenix surveillance system when the door to the war room opened.

Jack and Bozer’s conversation came to an abrupt halt when the door opened. Jack stopped breathing as Mac walked into the room. His hair was a bit longer, but that was the only noticeable difference. Jack scanned him, looking for any other signs that Mac may have changed.

Mac paused as he entered, taken by surprise when he came face to face with Jack and Bozer who were right in front of the door. Mac closed the door behind him, mostly to give himself a second to steady his nerves. Then he turned around and gave his three team members a slightly nervous smile.

It was the smile that got Jack moving. He stepped forward and brought Mac into his arms. Jack had seen Mac nervous many times, so he recognized the smile that Mac had when he was scared but trying to save face.

The realization that Mac was just as nervous as he was about their reunion actually managed to ease Jack’s nerves.

“It’s good to see you, man,” Jack said, hugging him tightly. The hug lasted longer than theirs normally did, but Mac didn’t seem eager to let go either.

“It’s good to see you too,” Mac said when they finally separated, although Mac kept one of his hands on Jack’s shoulder. Jack could see hesitation in Mac’s face. Now that Mac was in front of Jack, he was suddenly hit with a wave of guilt. He felt guilty for leaving so suddenly and for ignoring most of Jack’s attempts to contact him. “Jack...I…” Mac wasn't really sure how to put his feelings into words.

“We can catch up more later,” Jack said smoothly, knowing just where Mac’s thoughts had taken him. They did need to talk some things out, but this was neither the time nor the place. They could get together later with a couple beers in front of a fire at Mac’s place and hash things out.

“Okay,” Mac said, relieved that Jack didn’t seem too upset.

Mac turned to Bozer and received a hug even tighter than the one Jack had given him. Bozer had always been a big hugger and while Mac wasn’t, he always looked forward to their reunion hugs.

Mac greeted Riley next. She gave him a light kiss on the cheek and a warm hug. 

“You know I hate to agree with Jack on anything, but it is really good to see you, Mac,” She said with a smile.

“It’s really good to see all of you too, I’ve missed you guys,” Mac said honestly. “And it’s good to be back at the Phoenix as well.” Mac didn’t mention how it had felt slightly strange to walk through the front doors again. Or how he felt out of place as he walked through the halls and saw faces he didn’t recognize. He especially didn’t mention how when he’d first entered the war room, he had a fleeting feeling that he didn’t belong here anymore.

Mac pushed all of those feelings aside, telling himself that it was okay that things had changed in his months away and that it would take him a little while to adjust to being back.

All he needed was a mission. He knew that a mission with Jack, Bozer, Riley, and Matty would bring them closer together like it always had in the past.

“Where’s boss lady?” Mac asked, noticing Matty’s absence for the first time.

“She said she had a meeting or something, but I think she really just wanted to give us a bit of space,” Bozer said.

“What exactly did Matty say to convince you to come back?” Riley asked. The lack of information had been bothering her ever since Jack had told her Matty was trying to get Mac back. No one would tell them why or what had changed. It was clearly important if Matty had broken her promise to give Mac space and Mac had agreed to come back. Riley’s curiosity was   on the verge of getting the best of her.

“Um,” Mac hesitated, not sure how much they knew or how much he should say. Not that he really knew all that much himself.

Luckily, he was saved by answering by the arrival of Matty. She bustled through the door and immediately touched the windows to make them clear again. Matty didn’t mind that it felt like a fishbowl, most people avoided looking into the war room for fear of being yelled at. Besides, Matty always felt a bit claustrophobic when the windows were clouded.

“Hey, Matty,” Mac said with a smile as he knelt down to give her a hug. “We were just talking about how you were late to your own meeting.” 

“I’m the boss, it’s not possible for me to be late,” Matty said in a tone that brokered no argument even if her logic was faulty.

“So, what’s up, Matty? We got a mission or something?” Jack said, the excitement clear in his voice. He was eager to be back out in the field with his best friend by his side once more.

Nothing had been the same while Mac was gone.

“Well-” Matty started but was immediately interrupted by Jack’s gasp. She sent him an annoyed look, but he wasn’t paying her any attention.

Before any of the others could say anything, Jack bolted out the door.

“Ros?!” Jack yelled out and Ros turned to face him a look of shock first crossing her features followed by a mega-watt smile of pure joy.

“Jack?!”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 6 penned by ravenj84 and bowties_Scarves_and_Plaid

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/160140480@N02/30619116017/in/dateposted-public/)

Ros ran right for Jack not giving a damn if she looked like a child in her exuberance at seeing the man who had practically raised her since she was five.  Feeling Jack’s strong embrace wrap around her was like coming home.  Ros knew Jack couldn’t hide his excitement at seeing her any better than she could.

“Man let me look at you. More beautiful than ever I see. What are you doing here?”

“I work here! What are you doing here?”

“Wait—what? Please don’t tell me that Oversight was the creeper that came up to the ranch last week?!” Jack inquired, annoyance coloring his tone.

“Papa Bear” Ros scolded. “Keep your voice down. And it was James MacGyver who came up to see me.  I don’t know anyone named Oversight.”

“That would be me, actually.”  James had heard the commotion and came to investigate prior to entering the war room.

“You gotta a lotta nerve bringing someone like Ros into this line of work.”

“Someone like—” _What the literal hell Jack!_

“I don’t have to obtain your permission for whom I recruit to work for the Phoenix, Agent Dalton, but for the record I had no idea you two knew each prior to my visit to Montana.” James replied testily.  “Let’s not keep Director Webber and the others waiting.”

Jack’s looked over to Ros.  “We’re going to talk about this later.”

“Jack—” Ros warned.

“No, we _ARE_ talking about this later.  Preferably over pizza and hell of a lotta beer.”  Ros rolled her eyes.

“ _Fine._ ” Ros groaned.

Jack leaned over to whisper in Ros’ ear as they walked through the war room door. “But I am beyond happy to see ya sugar.”

Ros smiled.  “The feelings mutual Papa Bear.” 

“So happy you could come back and join us, Dalton.” The clipped tone of Director Matilda Webber snapped Ros’ attention directly to the petite yet fearsome woman that stood before her.  Matty turned to smile at Ros.  “You must be Rosalind Kent our new head of Research and Development.  Welcome.”

“Yes, ma’am and thank you, but please call me Ros.  Jack and my mother are the only ones that call me Rosalind and it’s usually when I’m about to be chastised.” 

 “Noted. How long have you and Jack known each other exactly?” Matty shot a glare toward James for having not disclosed this information with her prior to their meeting.

Jack clapped his hands together in an attempt to squelch the mounting tension in the room and not give Matty any more opportunity to grill Ros. “Ros let me introduce to the rest of the gang.  On your left we have Wilt Bozer-Master of Disguise, then we have Riley Davis-Certified Computer Genius, and finally--”

“Angus MacGyver.” Ros whispered breathily.  _Shit! What was that?!  Get it together, Kent!_

Jack raised a curious eyebrow as he flicked his eyes over to Ros. _Weird._ “Uh yeah—this is Angus MacGyver.” 

“Your father spoke very highly of you during his visit to Montana, Angus.” Ros said with a small smile.

Riley and Bozer looked at each other worriedly.

“Did he now?” Mac replied tersely without so much as sparing a glance toward James.  He really didn’t like the idea of James confiding anything about him to a perfect stranger. “Call me Mac.”

Ros nodded in acknowledgment, but she could feel the waves of Mac’s apprehension at her presence crash over her.  Hell, Mac was downright frosty if Ros was being honest and he obviously wasn’t pleased that James had spoken to her about him. Clearly James hadn’t been the one to bring Mac back into the fold and Ros was sure she could bet every penny she had to her name that James had somehow roped Director Webber into doing his dirty work. _Coward._

“Now that introductions are out of the way,” James chimed in, “Riley I need you down in the lab today with Ros for a special project.”

“Special project?” Riley questioned, raising a scrutinizing eyebrow. She wasn’t so sure she liked the sound of that, especially with someone so clearly attached to Jack that she knew absolutely nothing about, really annoyed her.

“The Phoenix is getting an upgrade over the next thirty-six hours and Ros needs an expert coder.  You do still fit that demographic, yes?”

Riley internally rolled her eyes. “Yes sir.”

“Good.  Now as for the rest of you…”

Riley headed out of the war room with Ros toward the elevator that would take them back down to the lab.  The atmosphere on the ride to the lower level was awkward and filled with the same tension Ros had felt emanating from Mac.  Riley didn’t seem like she really wanted to engage in conversation, but Ros wasn’t going to let that deter her.

“So—how long have you known Jack?” Ros piped.  It was a terrible attempt at conversation and Ros knew it, but she was trying to break the ice with Riley.

“Look I don’t know you or why Oversight thinks you’re a much-needed asset to the team, but let’s get one thing straight.  We are not friends, nor do I desire to change that.  I will help you on whatever this special little project is, but beyond that—just don’t.”

Riley had whirled on Ros like a cornered feral cat.  While Ros had anticipated many things, she had thought it wouldn’t escalate to that degree of hostility so quickly.

“We don’t have to be friends, Riley, but we are going to be teammates. I just thought getting to know each other might help our ability to work together,” Ros tried to engage Riley in more a more civil conversation. Ros of course knew all about who Riley was, she had done thorough research into the Phoenix Team. But wanted Riley to tell her this information since she could tell that Riley was not the type to appreciate someone digging into her life.

“The only problem with that is I don’t much care if we work well together. I don’t know you, I don’t trust you, and I don’t like you coming in here and messing up the team,” Riley spat. She knew that logically the one she was angry at was Jack for never telling her about Ros, but it was hard to keep that anger from spilling out when Ros stood there looking so calm and collected as she messed with the most important relationship in Riley’s life.

“I’m not trying to mess with the team,” Ros said, feeling her own anger rise but trying to clamp down on it. “I didn’t even know Jack was on the team when I accepted the job.”

“You must not know Jack as well as you think then,” Riley said smugly and Ros’ temper flared.

“I see.” Ros pondered.  “You’re Diane’s daughter, right?  And I suppose Jack never mentioned me when he was with your mom or even after for that matter?” Riley visibly bristled and the phrase if looks could kill briefly skittered across Ros’ thoughts, but she couldn’t find it in herself to care. “I’m curious, do you feel that Jack should share every aspect of his life with you because he’s been an ever-present father figure?  Or is it that you feel I’m stepping on your toes due to your skewed perception of my being competition for his paternal affections?  You’re absolutely right though we _don’t_ need to be friends, hell you don’t even have to like me, but I am going to expect a certain level of civility and respect.  I hope that won’t be a problem.” 

Riley gritted her teeth and then forced the most saccharinely sweet smile she could muster onto her face. “Nope, no problem at all.  But I’ll be doing it for Jack, not you.”

“Of course.  I wouldn’t expect anything less.” Ros deadpanned. 

***

“Who was that, Jack?” Mac asked, still reeling from the sudden events that had just taken place. Matty had tried to start the briefing, but Mac knew he wouldn’t be able to pay any attention until he got answers. 

“Um, that’s Rosalind Kent. I uh...knew her father,” Jack said, also trying to get his head straight. He had no idea how to feel about Ros being recruited by the Phoenix. On one hand he was super excited to have her close and he knew the Phoenix would benefit from her skills. On the other hand, however, their team was newly reunited and throwing someone new into the mix might not be the best idea. Especially if that person was someone Jack knew really well but had never told his team about. Jack hadn’t missed the hurt look on Mac and Riley’s faces when they saw how Ros and Jack greeted each other.

“Her father?” Mac asked, frustrated at how vague Jack was being.

“There will be plenty of time to have this discussion later, but right now I have a very time sensitive mission,” Matty interrupted before Jack could respond. Mac looked between her and Jack in annoyance. He really wanted answers, but he knew the mission needed to come first.

“What is it?” Mac asked with a sigh. 

“We received word that a very large shipment of guns is en route to the United States. The FBI has been tracking this shipment and has requested our help with securing the guns before they reach land,” Matty explained. As she did, she pulled up a picture of a large shipping vessel.

“They’re on a boat?” Jack asked.

“Yes, this is a satellite picture of the boat. The guns are in one of these shipping containers and as you can see, there are a lot of them,” Matty said zooming in on the cargo.

“Do you know the exact TEU capacity?” Mac asked, squinting at the picture.

“This model ship carries about 15,000 TEU,” Matty responded.

“Uh, and for those of us without a genius level IQ, what is a TEU?” Bozer piped in from the back of the room.

“It stands for twenty-foot equivalent unit,” Mac explained. “Twenty feet is the normal length for a shipping container so that is considered 1 TEU” 

“So, you are saying that this boat right here has 15,000 of those containers on it?” Jack asked in disbelief.

“Yes, and you and blondie need to find and secure the one with the guns,” Matty said.

***

“So, what exactly is this project?” Riley asked Ros once they’d reached her office at the back of the lab.

“James—err Oversight has asked me to integrate the artificial intelligence program I developed into the Phoenix’s mainframe.  In order to do that I will need you to allow for the current component sub-system coding to merge with the AI and therefore insure we can deliver the overarching functionality throughout the entire complex.”

“Uh--while I hate to openly admit that I’m even remotely close to impressed I feel like I need to ask anyway.  Why do you need me?”

“I need a technological virtuoso.  I may be able to do a great many things, Riley, but rapidly devolving code in order to properly integrate is not my strong suit.  It took me years to develop and complete EE with an ungodly amount of trial and error sprinkled throughout.  I would prefer to work with someone who is a master of their domain than to shine a spotlight on an already glaring weakness.”  

Riley nodded.  “Anything else?”

“Now that you mention it, yes. I’ve been working on another project off and on for the past couple of years, but I’ve never been able to get it off the ground. I was kind of hoping I could pick your brain while I had for you here.”

“Whatcha got?”  Riley asked with a sigh.

“As you know centralized internet relies on servers.  A decentralized version would rely on a peer-to peer network built on a community of users.  The lab is currently my “community of users,” but I think we can do better. We need something that will host the internet other than a group of high-powered servers. It would erase the possibility of a single server crashing due to say a DDoS attack.” Ros enthused.

 _Whoa._ “Ummm…yeah, but that’s never been done.”

“Right, but wouldn’t you like it to be? If we can get the code right, I can launch it simultaneously when we bring EE online.”

“And when you say peer-to-peer?”

“Cell phones. They have the computing power hundreds of times more powerful than anything that was used to put man on the moon and they’re just sitting in people’s pockets!” 

“So, in essence _if_ we could do it, we would be creating an internet with no firewalls, no tolls, no government regulation, no spying, run on cell phone power?”

“In simple terms, yes and it would belong solely to the Phoenix.”

Riley smiled conspiratorially at Ros. “I think we can make that happen. Let me see what you’ve got.”

Ros mirrored Riley’s smile, the rigidity between them from their previous altercation put on a brief pause, as she passed her the thumb drive containing her research.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 7 penned by bowties_Scarves_and_Plaid and ravenj84

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/160140480@N02/30619116017/in/dateposted-public/)

“So how exactly are we getting on this boat in the middle of the ocean without the bad guys seeing us?” Jack asked

“With a helicopter and some diving equipment,” James MacGyver answered as he strolled into the war room. Mac visibly tensed at the sight of his father and although everyone in the room noticed it, no one commented on it. “Hello, Angus,” James said to his son, trying to keep is voice casual. He would have preferred their first meeting after so many months to be in person, but Mac had declined his request to come to his office before meeting the team in the war room.

“Oversight,” Mac responded, giving him a small nod of acknowledgment but not meeting his eyes. 

“Sounds sweet,” Jack said, trying to dispel the sudden tension in the room. “The helicopter and diving thing I mean.”

“What do we do when we find the correct container?” Mac asked.

“You seal it off and get the hell off of that boat. The FBI is setting up an operation to catch whoever comes to collect those guns. They will set up in the port and wait for someone to arrive. They want us to seal off the container so there is zero chance of the bad guys getting their hands on the guns before the FBI can arrest them.” 

“How long do we have before the ship reaches land?” Jack asked

“10 hours and counting,” James answered with a hint of annoyance. Matty put up a timer on the screen as he spoke. “The FBI has known about the vessel for weeks but there has been a lot of argument about how best to handle the situation. Bureaucratic nonsense,” James scoffed. “So unfortunately, by the time you actually get all the way out onto the boat you will only have about 7 hours.”

“That’s enough time,” Mac said, still not looking at his father.

“Um, Mac? Are you forgetting about the part where you have to search through 15,000 big metal containers to find the guns?” Bozer questioned.

“I’ll think of something to make the search easier,” Mac said, waving off Bozer’s concern.

“Rosalind might be able to help with that as well. I’ll go fill her and Riley in on the mission. They can be on comms while they work on their project,” James said.

“I’ll come with you,” Jack said. “I want to see how Rosalind is settling in.” Jack spoke the words as almost a challenge, as if testing to see if James would tell him no or that what she was working on was classified.

“Sure, I’m sure she’d love to show you her project,” James said easily. Luckily Ros’ wasn’t working on anything classified because James knew that telling Jack he couldn’t come would not go over well.

Mac watched Jack and his father walk out of the war room with an odd feeling in his stomach and he couldn’t quite figure out why that made him so uncomfortable. Maybe it was seeing Jack and James acting civil towards each other and realizing that they have been working together for months while Mac was away. Or maybe because they were heading to see Ros, someone whom Mac wasn’t exactly sure how to feel about.

Whatever the reason, Mac decided to ignore the feeling and look over the details of their travel plans with Bozer and Matty.

*** 

Ros and Riley had been working in relatively companionable silence when James and Jack waltzed through the doors to the lab.  “How goes the progress, Ros?” James asked.

“Well I did say 36 hours until the full integration would be complete, James, so if you could give a girl a minute.” Ros answered sardonically. 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa Ros.  Come on now no need to get all feisty.” Jack interjected.

“I’m sorry Ja--Oversight.  It’s been—” Ros hesitated. “An _interesting_ morning.”  Ros couldn’t help the look she shot in Riley’s direction who was still intensely focused on her laptop screen as her fingers flew across the keys.  Jack had been watching Ros intently and didn’t miss where her eyes had darted.  He was going to have to have a chat with Riley sooner rather than later about several things and it wouldn’t be pleasant, of that he was sure.

“I understand that all this will take some getting used to Ros.  I won’t hold anything against you. For now.” James smirked, and Ros chuckled.  “I do need to run something past you though.  Angus and Jack are heading out on a time sensitive mission where they need to locate a large shipment of firearms.  You wouldn’t happen to have anything up your sleeves that could assist with that would you?”

“Shipment location?”

“Tanker in the middle of the ocean.”

“TEU?” 

“15,000.” 

“Time?”

“Less than 10 hours, 7 once on site.”

“I can send a D.W.A.R.F. with you, but I’ll need to be on comms to assist Mac and Jack with the operational logistics once they’re on site.”

“D.W.A.R.F.?” Jack and James asked in chorus.

“Drones Wirelessly Automated to Retrieve Forensics. They’re a set of seven quad-copters I engineered. Each one has been designed with a different capability, but all have remote surveillance and are equipped with a camera.  It should help with finding the firearms in a timely fashion and give the guys a bit more breathing room in the event of the unforeseeable.”  Ros answered.  Jack and James’ continued to stare at her slack jawed.  “They’re kick ass drones, guys.”

“Sweet!” Jack finely chimed in.  “Can I see?” Ros shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly and led Jack over to where numerous large black cases sat in the corner of the lab.  Heaving one of them up onto a table, Ros popped the locks revealing a lone D.W.A.R.F. quad-copter.

“Grumpy here should be able to detect a large shipment of firearms with no problem.” 

“Grumpy?” Jack laughed. “So, does this make you Snow White?”

“How about you just take the cool albeit _very_ expensive toy I’m offering you and be grateful, hmmm?” Ros challenged.

“Yes ma’am.” Jack replied turning to gaze at Riley. “On a scale of 1 to 10 how mad at me is she?”

“I’d say a solid 11.” Ros returned.

“Riley?” James piped. “I’m going to need you on comms as well.”  

“No problem.” Riley replied not bothering to look up at James. 

“Riles?” Jack asked softly starting to make his way to her side.

“Not going to have this discussion with you right now, Jack.” Riley responded tersely.  Jack halted his steps and sighed.

“Time to go Agent Dalton.  Wheels up in 20.” James bellowed, and Jack nodded.  Grabbing the case containing “Grumpy” from Ros, Jack followed James back out of the lab.

***

“You’re awfully quiet,” Mac commented through the comms over the loud sounds of the propellers. He had been expecting Jack to fill the hour and a half long helicopter ride with all sorts of chatter. It had been months since they’d last seen each other and weeks since they’d last spoken. Jack’s silence just made the slight awkwardness between them all the more noticeable.

“Sorry, dude, it’s just a lot, adjusting to you being back and Ros joining up. I’m just trying to wrap my mind around it,” Jack said

“What exactly is your relationship with her? You seemed really close, but I’ve never heard you mention her,” Mac said hesitantly. He tried to keep his voice even, but Jack could hear the hurt in it.

Jack found himself suddenly getting angry at that. Mac was constantly keeping secrets from him and the most recent one had included him running away and not talking to him for weeks on end. Mac doesn’t feel a need to share every detail of his life with Jack, so why does he expect Jack to do so?

“I’ve known her for a while. I knew her father really well,” Jack said, purposefully keeping it vague.

“Really specific, Jack,” Mac responded sarcastically, but he hadn’t missed the fact that Jack had spoken in past tense. Because of that, he said his next words in a gentler tone, “I’m sorry, it’s none of my business really, I’m just surprised that after knowing you for this long, there is a whole part of your life I don’t know about. It seems like you were really close to him.”

“We were like brothers,” Jack said simply. He didn’t expand on it any more than that and this time Mac didn’t push him.

After that, Jack made an effort to start chatting. He asked Mac about his work on the cabin and told him about the missions he had missed. It was still slightly tense at first, but by the end of the helo ride, they were joking and laughing like old times. 

They put on their diving gear and Jack looked anxiously into the water.

“How long we gonna be down there?”

“A half an hour,” Mac said easily as he zipped up his wetsuit. When Jack made a noise of protest, Mac turned to look at his partner and quirked a smile. “Afraid of a bit of water?”

“No, no, it’s not that,” Jack hurried to say. “I’m just not a huge fan of the idea of being stranded in the middle of the ocean. We are pushing the limits of helo travel right now and if something goes wrong, who’s to say we will be able to get rescued?”

“We’ll just hitchhike. I hear there’s a giant boat headed this way,” Mac joked, not taking his partner’s grumblings too seriously. One of Jack’s favorite activities was complaining.

“That’s not funny, dude.”

“Look man, these are the best dive scooter’s money can buy. They are going to get us onto that ship and then back to the helicopter exfil point no problem. I thought you were excited about this?”

“I was...until I got out here and saw that,” Jack said, gesturing at the wide expanse of empty ocean in front of them.

“I got your back,” Mac reminded him. “We gotta move, let’s go,” And without waiting for a response, Mac pulled on his mask, grabbed his dive scooter and jumped into the ocean.

“You can do this, Jack,” he said, trying to reassure himself. He picked up the case that held Grumpy. Ros had of course made it waterproof. Knowing her it was probably bullet proof and explosion proof. Essentially, it was Mac proof. Jack chuckled as he pulled on his mask and secured the case. He was going to have to remember to tell that to Mac as soon as they could talk again.

Before he could psych himself out, Jack jumped into the water.

The swim was a pleasant one. They travelled at cruising speed to save on charge in case they needed to make a speedy exit. There were a couple moments when the two men almost forgot they were on a mission headed to a ship loaded with dangerous weapons and probably dangerous men as well.

But all thoughts of the cool fish swimming by left their heads as soon as they caught sight of the giant tanker up ahead. Mac signaled to Jack to take it slow and easy. 

They popped up next to the ship and cruised alongside it. Jack looked up at the towering metal hull and realized that there wasn’t a plan to actually get themselves onto the ship. Jack looked over to Mac to tell him this, but Mac was already digging inside of his waterproof bag.

Mac saw that Jack was watching and sent him a thumbs up. He pulled out a strange looking gizmo with a rubber band and a piece of metal. The next thing Jack knew, a grappling hook with a rope attached was shooting up into the sky.

The hooked attached with a distant clang and Jack sent Mac a grin. The two agents secured their scooters and climbed up the rope. 

Mac was glad that no one was around when they made their way onto the ship. He had picked what he thought was the best spot to infiltrate, but if there happened to be a crewmember up there, the plan would be ruined. 

“Phew,” Mac said as he pulled off his mask and wetsuit. “I am really glad there was no one here to see that.

“Me too, not exactly the most subtle way onto the ship,” Jack commented.

“It was the best idea I had given our timeframe,” Mac said with an unconcerned shrug.

“ _I could have helped you with that, MacGyver. Inventing things to help you achieve your mission is kind of my job now,”_ Ros’ smooth voice came over their comms.

Jack couldn’t help but smile when Mac jumped. It was obvious that the young agent had forgotten she was listening in.

“We managed just fine, thanks,” Mac said tersely. Jack raised an eyebrow at Mac’s tone but didn’t say anything.

 _“As impressive as that improvisation was, next time ‘just fine’ might get you caught or worse. I’m here to help MacGyver,”_ Ros tried again.

Mac decided not to respond to her this time. He could feel his annoyance rising and knew that no good would come out of arguing with a team member in the middle of a mission. But it bothered him that she hadn’t even been on the team for a day and she was already questioning the way he did things.

“Okay...let’s go scope out the ship and then find the gun shipment,” Jack said, trying to break the tension between two of his favorite people in the world.

Mac and Jack split up to circle the ship and get a better idea with what they were dealing with. They were both slightly taken aback by the sheer number of armed guards that were patrolling the ship.

“Matty, there are guys everywhere. Are you sure there are just guns on this ship?” Mac asked once he and Jack were safely back in a guard free zone.

 _“The FBI didn’t seem to think there was anything else illegal being shipped with the guns, but it’s possible something slipped by them,”_ Matty responded.

“ _Guys, I think I know what the problem is,”_ Riley piped up. _“According to this, there has been an increasing number of pirate attacks on large shipment vessels in these waters. They probably beefed up security to avoid getting robbed.”_

“Great,” Mac said, exchanging a look with Jack that he’d seen a hundred times before. It was a look that said ‘Of course, why would anything ever go right?’ and Jack couldn’t help but smile at the familiarity of it. 

“ _Launch Grumpy,”_ Ros instructed. _“He can help you keep an eye out for guards as well as scan for the guns.”_

“No, launching whatever that thing is, is too risky. If even one guard sees it, it will blow our whole operation,” Mac responded, shaking his head.

“ _That_ thing _isn't nearly as risky as your grappling hook trick,”_ Ros retorted.

“Maybe, but I did that before I knew there were so many guards on board.”

 _“Ignorance isn’t an excuse for dangerous behavior, and besides, the D.W.A.R.F has-”_ Ros’ voice abruptly cut off when Mac took out his comm and threw it into the sea. 

“Mac!” Jack said in disbelief. Jack was usually the one who had angry outbursts and it was alarming to see that kind of thing come from Mac.

Jack could hear Matty, Riley, and Ros all yelling in his ear as they received the notification that Mac’s comm had gone offline. He ignored them however in favor of giving his full attention to his partner. 

“I’m sorry Jack, I just couldn’t think with all of the noise,” Mac said, his back to Jack as he looked out at the ocean.

“Mac, I-” Jack started, but whatever he was about to say was cut short by the sound of a gun being cocked.

“ _Jack? Papa bear, what is going on? Jack?!”_


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 8 penned by bowties_Scarves_and_Plaid and ravenj84
> 
> At long last, INSPIRATION! As a reward you get a much longer chapter...enjoy friends! :)

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/160140480@N02/45679015214/in/dateposted-public/)

“Ignorance isn’t an excuse for dangerous behavior, and besides, the D.W.A.R.F has--” Ros’ was voice abruptly cut off when Mac’s comms disconnected. “A cloaking device.” She finished angrily turning to look in Riley’s direction who was still yelling into her comms.

“Mac? Jack?!”

 _“Dalton what’s going on?!”_ Matty echoed.

“Did he just shut off his comms!?” Ros asked incredulously.

“I—I don’t know. Matty do you have any visuals on them?”

_“I’m afraid I don’t, Riley. We’re going to have to wait this one out.”_

***

Jack almost wished that he could throw his comm into the sea as well. It was hard to focus on the situation at hand with all the people shouting at him inside his ear.

Jack dropped his weapon and held up his hands in surrender, watching the man who had a gun to Mac’s head very carefully.

“Take out yours as well,” The man ordered, gesturing to his ear with his free hand. He’d obviously witnessed Mac taking out his comm.

“Okay, I’m taking out my comm,” Jack answered to let Matty and the others know why he was about to go dark as well. Removing his comm Jack dropped it to the ship’s floor, making sure to move slowly. One wrong move could result in Mac getting shot.

“Now crush it,” The man instructed. Jack hesitated slightly, and the man pressed the muzzle firmly against Mac’s head.

“Alright, alright,” Jack conceded and stepped on his comm with the heel of his boot. He looked up and met Mac’s eyes, not surprised when he didn’t see any fear there having frequently been held at gun point.

Jack looked closer at Mac’s face and he knew instantly his partner was about to make a move. Mentally preparing himself, Jack gave Mac the tiniest of nods to let him know that he was ready, much to Mac’s relief.  The armed guard had made the mistake of standing too close to Mac and he knew that he could easily disarm him if he wasn’t expecting it.

Moving quickly, Mac grabbed the barrel of the gun with one hand and with the other he hit the man on the wrist, forcing him to release the gun. Before the guard had too much time to recover, Mac threw the gun overboard.

Taking Mac by surprise, the now disarmed guard’s fist connected with his face in a solid punch, causing Mac to falter backwards. Jack took this opportunity to join the fight, tackling the guard, sending them both tumbling to the deck. Despite being a tangled mess of asses and elbows, Jack managed to pin the guard and launch a punch of his own, his fist converging with the man’s jaw. Not to be outdone, the man retaliated by kneeing Jack in the gut, causing him to roll the side.

Mac had found a metal pipe and swung hard at the guard, but he dodged it easily, knocking the pipe out of Mac’s hand. Both Mac and the guard rushed to recover the pipe, but the guard made it there first.  Jack saw what was about to happen, but he wasn’t able to prevent the guard from hitting Mac across the face with the pipe. The force of the hit sent Mac sprawling to the deck.

“Mac!” Jack shouted instinctively. The guard turned his attention back to Jack and that was just fine by him. Angry now, Jack rushed the man without a moment's hesitation. This time when he knocked him to the ground, he knocked the man out cold with rapid, succinct punches.

“Mac?” Jack gasped as he got up and made his way over to where Mac was, pleased to see that his partner was sitting up and seemed mostly okay. Jack offered a hand and when Mac accepted, he hauled the blonde agent to his feet.

“Thanks,” Mac said slightly breathlessly. Jack looked over his partner critically, noting the red mark on his cheek and the bleeding cut above his eye.

“You okay?” Jack asked as he bent down and zip-tied the unconscious man’s hands and feet. Mac put a hand to his forehead and winced when he felt the cut. He knew that it and his cheek would be bruised and sore, but right now they had bigger things to worry about. 

“Yeah, of course,” Mac said nonchalantly.

“Okay good, because I don’t want to yell at you if you’re anything but.” Jack clipped, fixing Mac with a look that let him know that for once he wasn’t joking.

“You’re going to yell at me?” Mac hypothesized, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, I am. What the hell were you thinking throwing away your comm?” Jack demanded, although he wasn’t exactly yelling because he didn’t want to raise his voice and draw anymore unnecessary attention. Continuing to keep a low profile was still imperative to the mission.

“We turn off our comms all the time!” Mac protested.

“Yeah,  _turn off_ being the key phrase here, man. Yanking it out and tossing it overboard is not turning it off.” Jack censured.

“Yeah, I know,” Mac grumbled, appearing visibly deflated as he leaned against the railing of the ship and looked down at his shoes.

Jack waited for him to continue, but when he didn’t Jack pressed him. “So, why’d you do it then?”

“I couldn’t think with everyone talking at me,” Mac asserted with a shrug. He didn’t really want to put into words why he had reacted the way he had.

“Bull, you’re a pro at tuning out the outside world when you need to get something done,” Jack threw back.

“I couldn’t think with _her_ talking at me,” Mac clarified. This had been what Jack suspected, but hearing it was still jarring.

“Why?”

“I don’t trust her…” Mac started, but then shook his head because that wasn’t the whole truth. “And every time I think about Ros, I think about the fact that you’ve never mentioned her. And then I think about all of the secrets we have and how bitter it makes me that after all we’ve been through, we still have secrets between us...and that train of thought makes it hard for me to concentrate.”

“Mac…” Jack started but trailed off because he wasn’t really sure what to say to that.

Mac pushed off of the railing and bent down to pick up his pack. “We should get moving, I’m surprised we don’t have every guard on board all over us after that level of excitement.” 

“Mac, how are we going to locate the correct container?” Jack asked, and Mac flinched at his question.

“I could make something? Something that would do the same thing as this fancy drone, but it would take some time and that would risk us getting found again…” Mac said slowly.

“Mac, Ros said it had some sort of cloaking thing so that the D.W.A.R.F. can’t be spotted,” Jack remarked, sensing that Mac was considering using Ros’ invention. “She’s always been one to think out every possible scenario.”

“Did she tell you how to activate it?”

Jack looked down at his pack that contained the drone and back at Mac. “Um…well…yes, but…” Jack trailed off sheepishly, and Mac shook his head in mild frustration.

“I suppose we’ll have to make do with it as is since that’s really our best option,” Mac relented, clearly not happy about the situation.

“Then let’s hope I remember the rest of Ros’ instructions on how to work this thing.” Jack muttered as he knelt down and undid the case that held Grumpy. Ros had of course explained to him how to operate the drone just in case anything had happened to their communications. The only problem was that Jack had only half paid attention because he’d just figured that Ros would be able to talk him and Mac through it when the time came.

“How hard can it be?” Mac responded tensely. Jack looked up to see that he was dabbing away more blood that was trailing down his face with sleeve. Jack wasn’t happy to see that the cut was still bleeding that much, but he knew Mac would just push away his concern in favor of concentrating on the mission.

“I think I remember,” Jack said, turning his attention back to Grumpy.

“I’ll keep watch while you figure it out.”

Thankfully for Jack Ros had the forethought to make the touchscreen as user friendly as possible so even with his limited knowledge of electronics, Jack was able to figure out what to do. Soon, he had Grumpy hovering silently in the air just in front of him. Jack looked at Mac who held up a finger and disappeared. After a few moments, Mac came back and giving him a nod.

“Coast is clear, at least from what I can tell. Let’s just hope nobody on this big boat has the good sense to look up.”

Jack nodded, blatantly ignoring Mac’s jab. He focused on flying the drone up to the height that Ros had suggested. Once it was there, he hit one button to make it hover and another to make it scan the ship. Within a few minutes, a basic schematic of the ship began to glow blue on the small screen.

Despite himself, Mac was curious, so he walked over to look at the screen over Jack’s shoulder. He had to admit he was surprised and slightly impressed when the image began to appear. They could see every shipping container as well as every guard on the ship. The visual wasn’t overtly detailed, but it might just give them enough to locate the guns.

“Can you zoom in towards the stern?” Mac asked.

“Maybe?” Jack said as his fingers navigated over the screen. He was pleased when the image started zooming in and moving towards the front of the boat.

“The stern is the back of the ship, Jack,” Mac said, a hint of amusement coloring his tone.

“Right, I knew that,” Jack grumbled and then switched directions, red dots now decorating the image before them. “What do you see, Mac?”

“If those red dots are indicating heat signatures, then there are more guards on that end of the boat. Which doesn’t make any sense considering the captain and all other crewmen are located at the opposite end.”

“It makes sense if these guys are specifically here to guard the guns.”

“Bingo.” Mac said as he continued to watch the screen carefully. He looked over every container in that part of the ship. Jack wasn’t able to command the D.W.A.R.F. to determine what exactly was inside each of the crates having not recalled the rest of Ros’ instructions, but it was enough for Mac to narrow it down to three possibilities.

“Do you know which one it is?” Jack asked finally after waiting patiently for what he considered more than enough time  to analyze Grumpy’s results.

“Jack, you know how we were trying hard not to make our presence known?” Mac asked instead of answering.

“Yes, this is supposed to be a covert mission. They aren’t even supposed to know we were ever on this ship,” Jack said because he suspected Mac was going to do something to change that.

“Well, I’m going to need you to make your presence known,” Mac said, straightening up suddenly. “I need to gather a few supplies, watch my back on that thing,” He said, gesturing to the controller for the D.W.A.R.F.

Before Jack had a chance to respond, Mac was hurrying away. Jack watched as the red dot that was Mac make his way into a shipment container and kept his eye on the others that were the guards, hoping they would stay away. Luckily, they did, and after a brief few minutes, Mac was back, his arms full. Dropping everything on the deck in front of him, Mac started assembling things together.

“What are you doing?” Jack asked, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer.

“A bomb, but just a small one,” Mac said as he worked.

“You want me to set off a bomb on the ship we’re currently on?” Jack should’ve been surprised, but he wasn’t.

“A small bomb. If placed right it should cause an explosion but not too much damage. And it should look like it was just an accident.”

“And what is the purpose of a bomb that doesn’t cause a lot of damage?”

“There are three possible containers that could hold the guns. It would be too dangerous to search them all, so I am hoping this bomb will spook those guarding the guns enough that they move to protect their contents,” Mac explained.

“Giving away which of the containers has the guns,” Jack finished, feeling better about Mac’s plan. He had been slightly worried that the blow to his head had caused a concussion and impaired his thinking.

“Exactly. If all goes well, we’ll still be able to get off this boat without anyone knowing we were here.”

“Except for that guy,” Jack replied, gesturing his head to the unconscious guard.

“Right...we should probably find someplace to stash him. The container I was just in seems like a cozy spot for a nap,” Mac said with a small smile.

Jack and Mac dragged the man into the dark depths of the container and Jack gagged him for good measure, so that if he woke up, he couldn’t cry out. If this man was discovered, he might put the entire assignment in jeopardy. Jack could only hope that he stayed blacked out for the remainder of the mission. 

“Okay, here you go,” Mac began, handing a small device to Jack. “Just put it right where I told you and then press this button. That will give you five minutes to clear out.”

“Got it,” Jack affirmed and handed Grumpy’s controller over to his partner. Mac looked at the controller like it offended him but kept it in his grasp. “Be careful, please,” Jack begged. Mac’s cut had finally stopped bleeding, but bruises were starting to form, and he was looking a little worse for wear.

“I will be if you are,” Mac imparted with a wink. Jack rolled his eyes, knowing that being careful was not often a luxury they could afford in their line of work.

They headed off in separate directions and Jack felt a growing unease with every step he took. He’d almost forgotten their previous argument and Mac’s rashness in throwing away his comm with the rhythm of being on a mission with Mac pushing his wayward thoughts to the back of his mind. He had even almost forgotten his annoyance at Mac for leaving in favor of enjoying the feeling of being back out in the field with him. Almost.

But now that they were separated, it all came back to Jack. He couldn’t help thinking about the hurt in Mac’s eyes when he realized that Jack had kept such a big part of his life a secret. Jack had his reasons and he really didn’t feel a need to explain those to Mac. But even though his actions were justified, Jack hated knowing that he had inadvertently hurt Mac.

Focusing back on the task at hand, Jack hurried to set the bomb, wanting to get this assignment over and done with. He really wanted to get started on repairing things with his partner over a cold beer back at home.

Mac watched Jack’s progress on Grumpy, so he knew when Jack had planted the bomb and started the timer. He just prayed it would go off without a hitch.

Five minutes later, there was a distant boom and the ship shook slightly. Mac could hear men over radio he’d confiscated from the guard asking what happened and others reporting the explosion. He watched the three containers carefully and was pleased when a guard moved to stand directly in front of one.

“Gotcha.” Mac whispered with his signature smirk. He busied himself with gathering the stuff he needed to seal up the container while he waited for Jack to return. Jack had made him promise to wait for him before he made a move. Mac had no objections to that, especially since they now had the guard standing in front of the gun container to deal with. 

“Find it?” Jack asked from behind him, causing Mac to jump. It was unnerving how stealthy Jack could be when necessary.

“Yep, looks like they moved one guard right in front of it and two to patrol the container’s perimeter. Everyone went to investigate the explosion.”

“So, we avoid the two patrolling and I take care of the one in front of the door while you do your thing?” Jack inquired.

“Yep. I’ll be fast,” Mac promised, but Jack wasn’t sure if he believed him. Mac only had one speed when it came to these kinds of things and it certainly wasn’t fast.

The two moved towards the container with an understanding that only came from years of working side by side. They waited on until the patrol had passed and then moved in. Jack made quick work of the guard and set about securing him as they had the other guard.

Mac carefully applied the putty all around the door and desperately tried not to think about the last time this had been used on a ship. He was setting the charge just as Jack joined him.

“We good here? That patrol is about to come back and if they see this dude missing before we radio it in, we’re in big trouble.”

“Yeah, we’re good to go,” Mac took a deep breath and the pushed the trigger. The putty expanded into foam that would make getting into the container extremely difficult.

“Nice, okay, let’s go,” Jack said, putting his hand on Mac’s shoulder. The two made their way a safe distance away and then Jack got on the radio and announced that the explosion was an accident and that everyone was clear to return to their stations. The two patrolling guards returned to their posts and never took note of the disappearance of their fellow cohort.

“If anyone discovers the two missing guards or looks too closely at the container this will all have been for nothing,” Mac observed as they made their way back to where they had stashed their diving equipment.

“Nothing we can do about that, we completed our mission. This ship makes landfall soon so hopefully no one figures it out before then. And if they do, maybe they will scramble to figure out what happened and remove that foam stuff and make it easier on the FBI,” Jack responded.

“Right. Hopefully,” Mac said as he secured his pack.

“Let’s go home buddy,” Jack patted Mac on the shoulder and then the two jumped into the ocean below.

***

_Back at the Phoenix…_

“Tell me Angus are you always so stupid or is today a special occasion?!” Ros menacingly seethed as she stormed through the war room door. 

“Excuse me?” Mac replied indignantly as he whipped around to face the fiery red head.

“You couldn’t even let me give you the simplest of instructions! Please enlighten me to what purpose your idiocy served other than putting you and Jack in an unnecessary bind?!”  Ros’ arms flailed about, her chest heaving with anger, as she tried to emphasize her point.

"The purpose it served was to give me a plan I could trust. I don't know you nor if you have any _real_ skills. I wasn't about to risk the most important part of the mission on that or some overengineered gadget. I have been doing it my way for years and it always works out just fine." Mac growled.

“ _Always_ works out? Ha! Right, how silly of me to forget you’re living proof that man can live without a brain! You couldn’t even let me tell you that the drone had a damn cloaking device!”

"Maybe I would have, if you had just told me that instead of insinuating I’m an imbecile, and generally screeching in my ear!"

“God! You’re nothing more than a—a—” Ros hesitated, fumbling for the right words.

“A what?!” Mac shot back.

“A petulant child!” Ros screamed while shoving Mac in the chest causing him to stumble backward.

“Enough!!!” Jack roared.  “Now you two need to take a beat and cool the hell off!”

Ros’ eyes continued to blaze with anger, but she knew Jack was right, yelling and screaming at Mac would serve no one.

“You might want to have a doctor look at that gash. Wouldn’t do you any good to have it get infected.” Ros whispered as she stalked back out of the war room in the direction of her lab.

“Yeah. Thanks.” Mac replied in turn and Jack couldn’t help but smirk. 

***

Flopping down into her desk chair, Ros tapped the keyboard on her laptop, re-illuminating the screen that displayed a status of **INTEGRATION 68% COMPLETED**.

“Well, at least one thing appears to be going right today.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note this story WILL continue to be updated, but I will be attempting a bi-weekly posting schedule. I whole heartedly feel it will better serve the story's overall flow and development.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter penned by ravenj84

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't even begin to apologize enough for my absence. I hope you all will forgive me and keep enjoying the story. Even though Jack is no longer on the show I'm still adamant about keeping him in my little fic...I just love him too much.
> 
> Also...good news I'm already working on chapter 10. :D
> 
> Happy reading everyone!

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/160140480@N02/32070680967/in/dateposted-public/)

Staring blankly at her laptop screen, letting her morning coffee grow cold, had become a sort of habit as of late for Ros.  The unresolved tension between her and Mac was really starting to eat away at her.  Her father, Mason, had taught Ros to face her problems head on and Jack had made sure to carry on that lesson long after Mason’s death.

Six weeks had gone by. Six painfully slow, tension fueled, weeks. E.E.’s integration into the Phoenix servers had been seamless thanks to Riley’s assistance, however, it only served as a daily reminder, at least to _some_ , that Ros still couldn’t be trusted.

_“Why do we even need this ridiculous system, Matty? I thought the Phoenix was running well beyond optimum efficiency,” Mac fumed._

_“Why do you have to question everything she does at every turn Angus?!” James chastised as Ros stood next to him appearing rather despondent._

_“Both of you knock it off!” Matty shouted as she went to stand between the two men in an effort to stave off any possible physical exchange. “Mac, what Ros has implemented into the Phoenix with E.E. gives us unparalleled access to a framework of information we’ve never had before. Whether you like it or not her ingenuity is an asset to this team. Am I clear?”_

_“I don’t even know why I bother.” Mac ground out as he stalked out of the war room._

Ros’ cell chimed with a text from Matty tearing her from her reverie.

***

“Good morning sunshine,” Jack piped earning a withering glare from Ros.

“You’re awfully chipper for 7AM,” Ros replied, after taking a long pull of her freshly brewed coffee. Jack merely shrugged.

“She does have a point, Jack, you’re never this animated this early,” Riley snipped as she grabbed the nearest seat.

“What’s with the Spanish Inquisition, y’all? Can’t a guy be happy to come to work?” Jack asked only to be met with a chorus of ' _no'_ from Ros, Riley, and now Mac and Bozer. “Wow. You guys really know how to make a guy feel loved.”

“I’m afraid we don’t have time for warm and fuzzy this morning, Dalton,” Matty addressed.  “We have a serious and highly time sensitive issue on our hands and it looks like I’m going to need your expertise on the ground for this one, Ros.”

“No problem.” Ros’ eyes slid over to Mac, taking in the downturn of his mouth, she’d come to recognize as his tell for blatant disapproval. _Great_.

“Whoa, whoa, hold up there just a second Matty. Ros has only been here a little over a month, don’t you think it’s a bit too soon—” Jack started to ask before Matty abruptly cut him off.

“Six weeks to be precise and too soon or not Jack we don’t have a choice. I need her there. You, Mac, and Riley will be joining her.”

“Where are we headed?” Mac asked.

“Somalia!” James announced with a clap of his hands as he entered the war room and Ros visibly paled.

“You want to send Ros to Somalia?! Absolutely not!” Jack roared.

“Is there a problem, Agent Dalton?” James inquired flatly.

“No. No problem at all, _Jimmy_.” Ros answered, placing a calming hand on Jack’s shoulder, while fixing James with an icy glare.

“Good.” James stated.

“Whoo. Is it me or did the temperature just drop in here a good ten degrees?” Bozer whispered to Riley. 

“Yeah, if looks could kill.”

“Like I was saying,” Matty began again. “As you know Somalia is riddled with a treasure trove of uranium, making it one of the country’s most valuable and traded resources. Unfortunately, it appears that someone working on the Somali government’s mining project is seeing nothing but dollar signs and has been selling it to various rebel and terrorist groups. Our intel has determined that a large shipment is set to leave the Western Somali Mine in 36 hours for the Port of Mogadishu where rebel militant leader, Guerra Aidid, is set to intercept it.”

“So, what do you need us to do?” Riley asked.

“I need you four to determine who’s been doing the selling and make sure that Aidid doesn’t get his dirty little hands on that uranium shipment.”

“What do we need Ros for? The mission seems pretty cut and dry.” Matty turned to face the younger MacGyver.

“You’re forgetting something, Blondie. Somalia also has one of the world’s largest collections of landmines. I need Ros and her bag of tricks to ensure that you guys get in and out of Mogadishu in one piece. Got it?”

“Yes ma’am,” Mac muttered chancing a glance at Ros who looked like she wished the floor would open up and swallow her whole. _Why does she look so panicked?_

“Wheels up in 20,” Matty concluded.

 

_Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean…_

 

“Hey.” Jack said as he leaned over in his seat.

Ros looked up from her laptop. “Hey Papa Bear,” she replied barely mustering a smile as she tried to focus on her work.

“I—"

“Jack,” Ros warned, giving him a steely  _back off_ glower. “Please don’t start. I’m barely holding myself together as it is. If you start waltzing down memory lane, I’m liable to fall apart which will serve no one.”

“Alright. Alright.” Jack said leaning back into his seat, hands raised in surrender, and releasing a defeated sigh.

Mac and Riley eyed the exchange between the pair with keen interest.  

“What do you think that’s all about?” Riley whispered. Mac gave a slight shrug of his shoulders, his hands toying with a paperclip.

“I honestly don’t know much more than you. Jack’s been pretty tight lipped when it comes to her, but he did mention that he served with her dad.”

“Wait. What?” Riley darted her eyes briefly over to Ros and then back to Mac. “When?”

“He didn’t say, and it was well before he and I met. But considering when he spoke about him it was in past tense, I’d venture it didn’t end well.” Riley closed her eyes, taking a deep cleansing breath, understanding suddenly washing over her.

“I see. You know...I’ve seen that look before…” Riley trailed off while she and Mac both chanced a peek back over at Ros who was tinkering with one of the D.W.A.R.F. units.

“What look?”

“The look someone gets when they’ve had their whole world blown apart and now has to face what destroyed it all in the first place. It’s the same look you had when you found out your dad was alive and had been puppeteering your life from the shadows.”

“What a happy memory, thanks, Riles. You think it has something to do with where we're headed?”

“Dunno, but perhaps you could try putting yourself in her shoes rather than fighting her on every little thing. And now knowing about her dad and Jack…well…stuff makes a bit more sense because I’ve been where she is.” 

“I just…I don’t trust her.” Riley rolled her eyes and released an exasperated sigh.

“Why because your dad hired her, and you don’t trust him?”

“Something like that.”

“Uh huh. Well I trust Jack,” Riley paused, and Mac remained silent. “And for now, that’s enough.”

***

Mogadishu was miserably hot and sticky not to mention it wasn’t a place that Jack had fond memories of to begin with, sweltering climate aside. The Somali Civil War was an ugly piece of his past that he’d rather forget; losing someone that he had considered to be more of a brother than his superior officer was a tough pill to swallow.

The guilt that Jack carried over Master Sergeant Mason Kent’s death was a heavy load. Ros had told him to relinquish it ages ago, but it was something that he’d never managed to separate himself from. No amount of couch time after he’d gotten back to the States had been able to sever it from his conscience.

“I know where your head’s at, Jack, let it go.”

Jack turned to see Ros giving him a warm knowing smile as she adjusted her ear piece. “I thought it was my job to dole out the words of wisdom?” Ros simply shrugged and hoisted her pack onto her shoulder.

“You guys ready?” Matty piped in through the comms.

“Ready as I’m gonna be,” Ros muttered to herself.

***

“Tell me again why we’re huddled behind this barricade while Jack is firing every last bit of ammo he’s got at those a-holes?”

“Because this is when I tend to come up with some hair-brained idea to get us out of this very sort of situation  _and_ I don’t do guns.”

“You don’t do—Are you fuc—”

“Shhhhh!” Mac clamped his hand over Ros’ mouth to listen when everything had suddenly gone quiet. “Jack?” he called.

“All clear guys…I think I got ‘em all for now, but we might want to get moving,” Jack breathed heavily, wiping the sweat out of his eyes, leaning over the makeshift barricade. “I don’t think this Aladdin dude's short on muscle and I'm about out of bullets.”

“Riley? Are you still at the embassy?” Came James’ voice over the comms.

“Yeah. It looks like the U.S. Ambassador’s aid is our little opportunist. I’ve got enough to send back to the Phoenix so the local authorities can be alerted and pay him a visit.” 

“Great job Riley,” Matty praised. “And what about you three? By the sounds of things, you appear to have run into some of Aidid’s men. Is the uranium shipment at least secure?”

“It would’ve been if Bill Nye over here had let me do my job,” Ros spit and Mac rolled his eyes. “I was at least able to mount a tracker to the truck carrying the drums of uranium oxide. I had E.E. pair the device to your laptop, Riley, as well as back to the Phoenix servers, Matty, so you can have the ground team intercept.”

“That’s great, Ros. Any idea where Aidid is now?”

“If I had to take a guess, he’s probably following that shipment pretty closely. You find the uranium, you’ll find him,” Mac interjected.

“I suggest you three get back and join Riley on the plane as fast as you can. I don’t want any more encounters with the locals,” Matty ordered.

***

Jack quickly checked his six, making sure that he, Mac, and Ros weren’t being followed. Thankfully Riley was safe and already headed back to the plane making sure to keep tabs on the surrounding area. Things always managed to go sideways at the worst moments when it came to him and Mac, but now that Ros was with them, Jack was even more cautious about bullets flying. So much so that he didn’t notice his foot pressing down onto a small round plate hidden within the blades of grass.

 _Click_.

The sound sent a wave of fear and adrenaline coursing through Jack’s veins. Mac and Ros were still bickering over why they were now in their current predicament and clearly hadn’t taken notice of Jack no longer trailing behind them.

“Uh guys?”

“If you had just _listened_ to me _Angus_ , we wouldn’t have to be sneaking through this God-awful country like chickens with our heads cut off!”

“Guys?” Jack tried again.

“Well If you—”

“GUYS!” Jack screamed.

“What?!” Mac and Ros yelled back in unison, turning to see Jack frozen in place, their eyes going wide with realization.

“Now Ros, honey, I don’t want you to panic.” 

“Jack? Please don’t tell me you...” Ros’ words caught in her throat, swallowing thickly as she tried to suppress the rising anxiety at seeing Jack caught in what equated to an explosive bear trap.

“Stepped on a landmine? Yeah…it must be my lucky day.”

“No, no, no!” Ros wailed, pacing back and forth in a tight circle. “This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening!”

“Mac what’s going on?” Riley’s voice echoed in through the comms

“Nothing good Riley,” he replied.

“Ros? Rosalind? Look at me, please, sugar.” Ros continued to pace, ignoring Jack’s pleas, chewing on her thumbnail with nervous abandon. “Mac, I need you to try and calm her down. She’s barreling down a nasty rabbit hole I really don’t want her to head right now.”

More than confused and concerned about what he was witnessing, Mac nodded his head in understanding as he stepped carefully in front of Ros, placing his hands lightly on her shoulders to still her movements.

“Hey, hey, hey…Ros? We’re going to figure this out okay? You and me. Together.” Ros’ watery eyes peered up and looked helplessly into Mac’s crystal blues.

“Y-you don’t understand,” Ros hiccupped, tears streaming down her cheeks. “This is exactly how my dad died.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter penned by ravenj84

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo hoo...an update! Hope you're all still enjoying my little tale.
> 
> Comments and kudos are like sunshine on a cloudy day. :D

“I really need you to listen to Mac, sweetie. You two are a couple of eggheads. This should be a piece of cake.”

“Well the good news,” Mac stated as he carefully knelt down beside where Jack was standing. “Is that you didn’t step on a landmine. If you had you’d more than likely be missing a limb or worse. Care to assist me, Ros?” Ros’ eyes darted over to Mac, her head nodding slowly in the affirmative, hands still shaking as she slid her pack off her shoulders. “Can one of your D.W.A.R.F. units scan the area beneath Jack’s foot and give us a better idea of what we’re dealing with?”

“Y-yeah…ummm…no problem. Just give me a second.”

“Matty?”

“Yeah Mac?”

“I need radio silence for a bit. I don’t want any frequencies competing with disarming this thing.” Mac knew it was a lame excuse, but he was bound and determined to figure out what had sent Ros over the edge and the fewer ears the better.

***

“You got it Mac.” Matty mashed her finger on the mute button of her comms panel and whirled around to face James. “What the hell is going on?” she grit through clenched teeth but was met with only his cool gaze. 

“Nothing that wasn’t out of the realm of possibility, Matty,” James deadpanned.

“I strongly suspect that there’s more to it than that. Care to give me the whole story?”

“If I felt there was something you needed to know, I would’ve shared it. Keep me posted on their progress.”

“How can you be so callous?”

“I have no doubt they’ll be fine. Now if you’ll excuse me,” James finished as he calmly walked out of the war room.

“Riley?”

“Yeah Matty?”

“Get me everything you can find on Jack’s time in Africa and how it ties to Ros.”

“Already on it.”

***

“Now that it’s just the two of us, you gonna tell me what’s really going on here?” Mac murmured in hopes that Ros wouldn’t overhear his line of questioning.

“I’d rather not get into it, Mac.”

“Well we’re going to get into it, Jack. Now tell me what’s gotten her so upset?” Jack sighed, reluctant to divulge the gory details of his past, but he knew he couldn’t keep dodging Mac.

“Mason Kent, Ros’ father and my best friend,” Jack said looking over to see Ros frantically typing on her tablet, “Was my Charlie Robinson. So please forgive me if I’m not all a tingle to discuss that part of my life.” Mac’s eyes grew wide in surprise. “He and I had been best friends for as long as I can remember. We enlisted together, I was the best man at his wedding when he married Ros’ mom, Maggie, and was even honored with becoming Ros’ godfather just after she was born. But everything fell apart when I was deployed here during the Somali Civil War. Ros was just a kid, maybe four or five, and I’d been assigned to Mason’s Delta Task Force. I couldn’t have been happier getting to serve alongside him again, but things went sideways. We were waiting on our transport out of Mogadishu and found ourselves face to face with some heavily armed rebels.”

“Unfortunately for my dad,” Ros added quietly, kneeling down beside the two men. “Was that in his frenetic haste, his foot managed to locate a pressure-plated IED, much like this one.” Jack lowered his head slowly, his chest swelling with the pain of guilt.

“Seems only fair that I find another one in this God forsaken mosquito pit,” Jack grumbled, and Ros sighed. “Right, sorry. I’ll shush now so you two can figure out how to get me off this damn thing.”

“We need to disconnect the fuse from its power source. According to Doc, here, that’s located just to the left of the battery. Mac, can you dig down about six inches, right behind Jack’s foot? The access panel appears to be located there.”

“Yeah…” Mac paused looking around for something to dig with.

“Here…this might help,” Ros said, tearing the plastic cover off the notepad she had stuffed down in her pack at the last minute. “It’s not ideal, but—”

“It’s perfect,” Mac replied with a small smile. “So…what happened after your dad triggered the IED?”

“Ros?” Jack asked, clearly seeking her permission to continue.

“It’s okay Papa Bear. Talking about it will…distract me.” Ros looked up at Jack giving him a weak smile.

“We were out of ammo and had radioed our convoy that we needed to divert to another rendezvous point due to taking on heavy enemy fire, but they were at least 30 minutes out.  Mason and I made the call to run for it when the rebels traded bullets for RPG’s and relay our new coordinates once we were in the clear.”

“You almost to the access panel?”

“Just about,” Mac replied as he kept digging down further exposing the small square plate.

“Good. I have the internal diagnostics complete when you’re ready.”

“Thanks. What I don’t understand, Jack, is how any of this is your fault.” Ros couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped her.

“Honestly, I’ve been asking him that for years and have yet to be given an answer worth its salt.”

“It’s my fault because it was my duty to protect Mason and I failed.”

“Jack you never could’ve anticipated what happened that day. You were put between a rock and a hard place and neither of you were equipped to handle the surprise of an IED.”

“She’s right, Jack. You’re blaming yourself for a situation that was out of your control. Just like I did with Charlie.”

“It should’ve been me” Jack grieved. “And I just ran.”

“You followed the direct order of your superior officer. He wasn’t going to let you be captured and meet a fate worse than death. So, he made the ultimate sacrifice. Once you were clear of the blast zone, he stepped off the pressure-plate to solidify your escape route.”

“I never told you that.”

“Don’t ask, don’t tell,” Ros stated, her face impassive as Mac loosened the final screw to the access panel. “Ready for those diagnostics now?”

“Yep. Whatcha got?” Mac leaned toward Ros to get a better look at the tablet’s screen, taking note that her hands were shaking far less than before. _Well that’s an improvement._

“It looks like this wire here,” Ros gestured to the screen and then to the wires inside the IED, “is the one to cut in order to kill the power source.”

“Did you have to say kill?” Jack whined.

“Sorry, Jack,” Ros quipped.

“Here we go, in 3-2-1…” Mac snipped the wire and the green light inside the IED went dark.

“Okay so now what?” Jack inquired.

“Now? We go home,” Mac answered as Jack slowly moved to the right of where he’d been forced to stand, relief washing over him.

“Not quite.” Jack reached up and turned his comms back on.

“Hey Matty?” 

“Dalton, thank God.”

“We’re gonna need to make a pitstop on the way home.”

“Sure thing, Jack.”

“Glad you’re okay Jack,” Riley added. “Hey Matty? I’m sending over everything you requested now.”

“Thanks Riley. I’ll see you all soon.” Ending the call, Matty sidled over to her laptop to review what Riley had managed to dig up. “James, you arrogant bastard,” the fierce brunette seethed.

***

_Arlington National Cemetery_

Ros stared blankly down at the headstone that read: _Master Sergeant Mason Kent_ _Loving Father, Husband, and Proud Solider_ , an errant tear rolling down her cheek.

“I miss him so much.”

“I know you do, kiddo. I still can’t apologize enough for—" Whipping around, eyes flashing in anger, Ros looked incredulously at Jack.

“ _Don’t. You. Dare_ finish that sentence Jack Dalton.”

“It’s just…I can’t help but feel that this is _wrong_. Me. Being in your life rather than Mason,” Jack whispered in reply.

“Jack.” Ros released a heavy sigh as she placed her hand comfortingly on Jack’s arm. “I miss him, I do, but you have honored him in every way by loving and caring for me just as he would have.”

Jack let a traitorous tear roll down his cheek and Ros reached to wipe it away before pulling him into a tight hug.

“I love you, Peanut.”

“I love you too, Papa Bear.”

***

“James? My office. Now.” Matty spit. James trailed begrudgingly behind her retreating figure.

“Matty, I really don’t have time for—”

“Knees.”  Matty replied pointing to the floor. 

“What—”

“Now.”

James lowered himself into a kneeling position bringing him eye level with Matty.  He expected many things, but the painful slap that seared the side of his face was most certainly not one of them.

“How _dare_ you keep me in the dark and put my team into a position like that?!”

James rubbed his cheek trying to ebb the sting that lingered.

“She knew what she was getting herself into when she agreed to work here, Matty.  Not every mission is a pleasure cruise.”

“Is that so?  So, you felt the need to bring up excruciatingly painful memories for Ros and Jack in the middle of a time sensitive mission to what?  Prove a point?  That’s low, even for you.”

“It wasn’t like that and you know it.  Ros has an incredibly wide skillset and I knew she would be a strong asset in Somalia.  So, don’t try and paint me as the bad guy here.  I may have left out a few key facts, yes, but I knew if I didn’t you wouldn’t let me send her and put at risk a successful outcome to the mission!  _I’m_ the one in charge here _not you_. It would serve you well to remember that, _Matilda_.” James growled.

“Oh, trust me.  You’ve never let me forget it.  And might I add it would serve _you_ well that honesty is something I value as does the rest of your team.  You lose that. You lose them.”

“I’ll bear that in mind.” James said rising from his kneeling position to charge out of Director Webber’s office.

“You do that.” Matty replied and slammed the door behind James.

Witnessing the exchange between James and Matty from across the hall, Jill reached into her pocket for her burner cell and discreetly dialed. 

“Well hello there, my dear.” The sinister voice cooed. “Tell me, how is Angus these days, still narrowly escaping death?”

“I think there may be trouble in paradise,” Jill answered wickedly, a sly smile spreading across her face.

“Oh? Do tell. I do love a good story.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter penned by ravenj84

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/160140480@N02/30619116017/in/dateposted-public/)

“Jack, I really don’t think this is a good idea.”

“You said you needed to test the…dinglehopper? Dandruff? Dandelion?”

“Dendrotoxin,” Ros supplied flatly.

“Yeah, that. You said you needed to test it because you wanted to apply it to real world conditions. Well…I’m as real as they come, sugar! Besides what’s the worst that could happen?”

“A variety of things,” Ros paused briefly, pacing back and forth, her white lab coat fluttering as she moved. “Seizures, coma, loss of bowel control, um…death?”

“So, you’re saying if you shoot me with that thing…I could shit my pants?”

“Out of all the possible scenarios, _that’s_ the one that stuck?”

“These are my favorite pair of jeans.” It was all Ros could do not to roll her eyes, but Jack’s primary concern was well…just so _Jack_.

“Okay, Agent Guinea Pig, stand up against that wall there,” Ros instructed, gesturing with a flick of her hand the space behind where Jack stood.

“What’s the glorified yoga mat for?”

“You want to land on hard concrete and sustain a concussion to boot?” Jack remained silent. “That’s what I thought.”

Ros picked up a magazine pre-loaded with the seven bullets containing a bright blue serum. Briskly inserting the clip into the hand grip of the ICER with a _click_ , she disengaged the safety and pulled back the slide to chamber a round.

Discharging a weapon had become second nature to Ros, Jack had made sure of that. _If you’re gonna live up here in the wilds of Montana, you should know how to properly defend yourself in any situation,_ he had told her.  At the time Ros had thought Jack was being overly dramatic, but she humored him and now here she was aiming a brilliantly engineered firearm right at him. The irony of the situation was not lost on her.

“Ready, kiddo?” Jack asked with a smile.

“You’re really sure about this, Papa Bear? You know I don’t particularly relish in the idea of shooting you point blank.”

***

“Have either of you seen Ros or Jack this morning?” Matty inquired as she waltzed into the war room, joining Bozer, Mac, and Riley.

“No, I thought Jack was with you?” Riley asked Mac.

“He texted me earlier this morning saying he was going to come in early to check on Ros, but that was over an hour ago.”

“E.E.?” Matty inquired.

“Yes, Director Webber?” Came the friendly automated voice.

“Can you please inform me where Jack and Ros are right now?”

“Of course, Director Webber. It appears that they are both down in the lab. See for yourself.”

All eyes in the room went wide at what they saw brought up on screen.

“Is that a…?” Bozer’s panicked voice trailed off.

“Gun!” Riley and Mac exclaimed in unison.

“And is she…?” Bozer started again.

“Pointing it directly at Jack? Yeah,” Riley stated.

“Maaaaaac?”

“Already on it Matty.” Mac called back as he sprinted down the hallway in the direction of the lab.

***

“E.E.?”

“Yes, Ros?”

“Please pull up Jack’s current vitals and health stats. I want to monitor him closely and I’ll need to analyze his response data immediately.”

“Certainly. You may proceed with testing when ready.”

Ros held the ICER steady and aimed it directly at Jack’s chest. “I won’t lie…this is probably going to sting a little.” Jack nodded, his demeanor one of complete calm.

After everything that went down in Somalia a couple of months ago the last thing Ros wanted was to see Jack hurt. And yet, despite her reservations, he had insisted on playing the role of lab rat, even being borderline giddy to do so. Never one to deny Jack anything, Ros had acquiesced.

“The science is sound,” Ros muttered to herself as she squeezed the trigger.

“You’d better have a damn good explanation,” Mac growled, startling Ros, as Jack’s body slumped to the floor. Relief flooding through him at seeing his friend not bleeding all over the tile.

“Sneaking up on someone with a loaded weapon in hand suggests a lack in good judgement, Angus.” Setting the ICER down on the table, Ros did her utmost to keep her composure. Feeling Mac’s close proximity, his hot breath tickling the base of her neck, clouded her mind in a way she had no interest in giving voice to at present. “That aside, Jack volunteered, and you know as well as I do once he gets an idea in that head of his; there’s no changing his mind. Would you be so kind as to help me lift him onto the gurney, please?”

“What exactly is that thing anyway.”

“It’s an Incapacitating Cartridge Emitting Railgun or ICER, for short. Each bullet contains a unique blend of concentrated dendrotoxin that is injected into the skin upon contact. Rather than causing injury or unnecessary death, it renders a target unconscious for roughly four to six hours.”

“Any side effects?” Mac asked, hooking his arms under Jack’s limp ones, while Ros grabbed his legs.

“Ugh, Jack, you need to lay off the pizza and beer,” Ros grunted, heaving his body up to the gurney. “No side effects that I’m aware of, hence the testing. If I’m correct, he’ll have nothing more than a mild hangover.”

“I’m still not a fan of you using Jack for target practice, but obviously he wasn’t going to let you test it on yourself. Knowing you like he does I have no doubt that’s why he so enthusiastically volunteered.”

“I…” Mac raised an eyebrow in challenge. “I would’ve been fine, Angus,” Ros stated quietly. “I simply wanted to ensure it was ready for your next mission since I engineered it with you in mind.”

“Pardon?”

To say that Mac was surprised Ros had considered him at all was an understatement.

“I’ve been here long enough to observe that you have zero inclination in using any sort of firearm, no matter the situation. I would suppose that stems from the fact you have no desire to hurt your opposition, merely incapacitate, utilizing whatever hairbrained scheme that pops into that handsome head of yours.” Ros immediately blushed at her choice of words, clearing her throat awkwardly. “My point is, should the luxury of time or backup not be available, you’d have an ICER at your disposal.”

“Ros I…” The sound of Jack’s loud snoring interrupted Mac’s train of thought causing both he and Ros to burst into a fit of giggles.

“I’m glad you two are having fun down here,” Matty barked, walking into the lab with Riley and Bozer in tow. “Care to tell me what’s going on here?”

“Jack’s just taking a little nap,” Mac began.

“He’ll be fine by the afternoon,” Ros concluded.

“Well lucky for you Jack’s not needed for this mission. Instead, the four of you will be heading to sunny Las Vegas posed as two fun-seeking couples on a romantic weekend getaway. Riley you’re with Bozer. Mac you’re with Ros.”

Ros’ eyes darted over to Mac who visibly swallowed.

“Jack is going to be so pissed he missed Vegas,” Riley cackled while Bozer did a ‘ _Vegas’_ happy dance.

“That’s what he gets for donating his body to science,” Mac blanched, winking at Ros, who gave a small smile.

Since they’d returned from Africa, Mac had been more than cordial, making small talk, laughing, and keeping his general nit picking toward Ros’ methods at an all-time low. And yet, she was still inordinately nervous at the prospect of this mission.

Ros wasn’t sure when it happened precisely, but the tide had turned in regard to her feelings toward Mac. Angry and bitter she could do, it was easy and manageable, but the warm fuzzy feeling that clouded her mind every time Mac walked into the room, terrified her like a cornered rabbit. Her track record with romance in general was less than stellar and even if it was for a cover, Ros wasn’t confident that she could fake anything where Mac was concerned.

“What’s the deal with this one Matty?” Riley asked, tearing Ros from her reverie.

“Several Vegas casinos have seen a considerable uptick in counterfeit cash flow.  The only known perpetrator to have such an artistic flare with counterfeiting is Jose Alvarez; his last known location was Peru.” Matty pulled up Jose’s record complete with mugshot on the large screen mounted to the side wall of the lab. “Our current intel suggests that Alvarez is demonstrating for a buyer and that if proven successful the U.S. will be flooded within a few weeks with the fake notes. I need you four to find the buyer and track down Alvarez. You leave in 20.

***

“Jill!” James called down the hallway, his authoritative voice bringing the young woman to an immediate halt. “I’ve been meaning to speak with you.”

“Oh? What about, sir?” Jill replied, forcing herself to smile.

“Well to say that I’m a disappointed in your progress in locating Murdoc is an understatement. You do understand that there is a strong sense of urgency in putting him behind bars do you not?”

“I do,” Jill responded flatly. “I haven’t forgotten my initiative, _sir_.”

“Have you utilized E.E.? I’m sure Ros would be more than happy to—”

“I don’t _need_ her help or her glorified Google search. I will find Murdoc _my_ way. Now if you’ll excuse me,” Jill spat before continuing her path down the hallway to her office.

James wasn’t so easily put off and Jill’s abrupt change in demeanor left a bad taste in his mouth.

“Hey!” James clipped, grabbing Jill’s arm, whirling her about to face him. “I don’t appreciate being spoken to that way. When I gave you this directive, I expected you to execute it in an effective and efficient manner. Do I need to reassign...” James trailed, his unfinished question hang heavily in the air.

“No! No need to reassign your directive, sir.” Jill insisted, panic rising deep from within her. “My apologies. I’ll be sure to have an update for you by the end of the week.”

James gave a curt nod.

“See that you do.”

Closing the door to her office with a soft click, Jill released a shuddering breath as she moved behind her desk and sat down.

“I can’t let him spoil everything now. Not when I’m so close,” she muttered to herself. “James MacGyver is going to pay _dearly_ for what he did to me.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know...I know...waaaay too long a wait. I hope this longer chapter makes up for my brief hiatus.
> 
> Chapter penned by ravenj84

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/160140480@N02/30619116017/in/dateposted-public/)

 

Las Vegas was unbearably _hot_.

“Bless you Willis Carrier,” Ros exhaled reverently as they sidled through the glass doors of the Bellagio.

“Who?” Bozer lilted. 

“The inventor of air conditioning. In 1902…” Mac began.

“Please, Mac, one nerd is enough. I don’t need it in surround sound,” Riley remarked.

Ros chuckled, giving Riley a playful shove. 

“I’ll try and tone down the nerdy, but I make no promises. I think Angus, however, might be a lost cause.”

“I heard that!” Mac grumbled, sending Riley and Ros into a fit of giggles.

“Since when did you two become so chummy?” Bozer inquired throwing an arm around each of the girls’ shoulders.

Riley and Ros looked at each other then back to Bozer and shrugged. 

“Who said we were?” Riley answered flatly, tucking her lips between her teeth.

“Can’t we both just enjoy poking fun of,” Ros paused. “What does Matty call you again? Blondie?”

Mac, clearly annoyed at being used as a punchline, thought he’d turn the tables. They were supposed to be on a _romantic_ getaway after all and she’d clearly looked nervous at the prospect. Reaching forward and grabbing Ros’ arm, Mac spun her around to face him, pulling her flush against his chest, his other arm snaking tightly around her waist.

“Think you’re being funny, do you?” Mac cooed, his warm breath fanning Ros’ face.

“Angus…I—Wait, what are you doing?”

Ros could already feel the uptick in her heartbeat. Being in such close proximity to Mac was overriding her ability to formulate proper thought.

“We’re on a romantic getaway remember? It’s time we started acting like it,” Mac whispered conspiratorially. Releasing Ros’ arm, Mac reached up and brushed a stray lock of hair from her face. 

Realizing exactly what he was playing at and never one to be outdone, Ros leaned into Mac’s touch, letting her eyes flutter closed. Nerves be damned.

“Your wish,” Ros mused, seizing Mac’s hand, locking her gaze with his as she placed a lingering kiss to his palm. “Is my command.”

Mac was fairly certain he’d stopped breathing the moment Ros’ lips connected with his skin paired with an all too familiar twitch below his belt. Mac began to internally panic so he did the only thing he could think of, mentally taking apart a combustion engine and putting it back together again.

“Everything okay, _Angus_?” Ros asked softly, her thumb lightly caressing the inside of his wrist.

“Y-yeah. Everything’s fine. We should…um…get checked it.”

“Already done, Mac,” Bozer chimed, walking up to the pair.

“Now if you two are done making moon eyes at each other,” Riley quipped.

“We weren’t…we—” Mac stuttered.

“Uh huh. Shall we?” Riley gave a grand sweeping gesture with her arm in the direction of the elevators as Bozer handed Mac and Ros their respective room keys. “We’re in the Grand Lakeview Suite.”

Once inside the suite Riley and Bozer immediately started unpacking their gear and setting up while Ros wandered over to the bedroom, her eyes going wide at what lay before her.

“Oh God,” she fretted quietly to herself. “This day just had to be punctuated by the most predictable trope on the planet. Why does is it always have to be one bed?”

“We won’t be here that long.”

Mac’s stealthy approach startled Ros from her musing.

“Right. No. Of course not,” Ros’ stuttered, her cheeks glowing pink.

“You seein’ this, Riley?” Bozer beseeched his friend sitting beside him on the couch. Riley looked up briefly, following Bozer’s line of sight, but remained silent. “If I was a bettin’ man and well, I am in Vegas, I’d say there’s somethin’ boilin’ under the surface with those two.”

Riley gave Bozer a quick look of disapproval at his romantic hypothesis.

“You may be right Boze, but A. their budding whatever that is, isn’t exactly top priority right now and B. we’ve got bigger fish to fry.”

“Right, right. Sorry.”

“But I’ll take that bet and raise you a searing kiss before this mission is over. A six-pack of my favorite beer will do just fine for when I win.”

Riley smiled devilishly, extending her hand out. Bozer responded with a big toothy grin, grabbing her hand with a firm shake. 

“You’re on, but you’re goin’ down.” 

“What’s on?” Mac asked.

“Oh nothing,” Bozer replied, waving his friend off.

Mac’s eyes narrowed skeptically.

“Uh huh.”

“Everything’s setup on my end, how we lookin’ in here Riley?” Ros asked, reaching down to pick up a tablet off of the table. 

“Good. I’ve been able to hack into the casino’s security system as well as all of Vegas’ traffic cams. The video footage will relay back to E.E.’s facial recognition software and if Alvarez is around, we’ll know about it.” 

“Perfect. Matty, can you see everything on your end?”

“Crystal clear, Ros. New intel has just come in about our possible buyer that Alvarez has slithered out of his hole for. We’re looking at a Russian dignitary by the name of Dimitri Maximov.”

“Let me guess, he’s on Putin’s payroll?”

“Yes and no, Riley. He does indeed serve the Russian government, but there have been numerous reports that he wants Putin gone. If he can flood the U.S. with all this fake cash it will be the start of a snowball effect.” 

“Destroying our economy from the inside, in turn putting our country into financial chaos, and garnering new favor with his colleagues in hopes of securing the Russian presidential seat,” Mac stated.

“Not to mention looking like the hero when President Maximov bails out the US from financial ruin,” Ros added.

“Precisely. You guys _need_ to find Alvarez and the person who’s been allowing the fake cash to flow into the casinos. Also, this should go without saying but I want you to stay off of Maximov’s radar. He’s a take no prisoners kind of guy.”

“He’s _in_ Vegas?”

“Yes, Bozer, but the Phoenix Recovery Team will take good care of him.”

“I want to go through all security footage again,” Ros stated matter-of-factly, sitting down on the couch next to Riley.

“Knock yourself out,” Riley said, sliding her laptop over to Ros.

“Well I dunno about you two, but I’m starvin’. What do you say, Mac, you up for a food run?”

Mac looked at Ros and Riley huddled together as they scanned the casino footage and shrugged.

“Doesn’t look like we’re going to be much help here anyway and it’ll give us a chance to scout out the area.” 

Bozer clapped his hands together.

“Alright.” 

“Can we bring you two back anything?” 

Ros looked up at Mac and smiled. 

“Naw. I’ll order a pizza here in a bit, but Riley if you want to join them, I’ll be alright.” 

“Are you sure? It’s a lot of footage.”

“I don’t mind, it’ll allow me to nerd out for a bit, take the edge off,” Ros replied with a wink. Mac clearly still looked uncomfortable at the idea of leaving Ros alone. “Mac if you ask me if I’m sure one more time, you’re going to find my foot in your—” 

“Okay! Time to go,” Bozer interrupted, dragging his two friends from the room. “We’ll be back soon.”

Ros had been reviewing the footage for hours as she shoved another bite of cheesy goodness into her mouth. She couldn’t ditch the nagging feeling that this seemed all too familiar but couldn’t for the life of her remember why until she saw a small symbol flash in the lower left corner of the screen.

“What the…E.E. go back 32.6 seconds, pause, and enhance the lower left corner of the screen.” Ros’ eyes went wide with realization at the result. “No, no, no. Please be wrong. E.E. run this algorithm across all casino security footage.” Frantically Ros typed in the sequence, mashing down the enter key, and allowing E.E. to do the rest. “Shit.” Picking up her cell Ros dialed in a panic. “Matty? We’ve got a problem.” 

*** 

“So, I’m just going to go ahead and address the elephant in the room here. What’s going on with you and Ros, Mac?”

Mac coughed and sputtered on his drink.

“Bozer!”

“What Riley? First, he can’t stand her, then after Somalia they’re suddenly bosom buddies, and now…I haven’t seen him look at someone like that since…”

“Don’t say it,” Riley warned.

“Nikki,” Bozer muttered.

“Look. Guys. There’s nothing going on between me and Ros. After Somalia I just…saw things from a different perspective. I am entitled to change my mind.”

“Uh huh.”

“Boze, leave Mac alone. We’ve got enough to deal with like taking down this Alvarez guy,” Riley chastised as all three of their cell phones chimed.

“Looks like Matty needs us back upstairs,” Mac announced. 

*** 

“Do you have everything you need, Ros? I can have the team meet you.”

“Yeah, Matty I’m good but no, this needs to just be me. It’ll draw less attention if I’m solo. Besides, what I lack in experience I make up for in enthusiasm.”

“That doesn’t give me much confidence.” 

“I’ll be fine but let Mac and the team know I’m following a lead and leave it at that. I don’t need a knight in shining armor barreling into this with his Swiss Army knife drawn. If I need help, I’ll ask for it. I promise. Oh, and one more thing,” Ros paused as she descended down the back stairs of the Bellagio.

 “Name it.”

“Don’t tell Jack.” 

“Don’t tell Jack what?” Jack asked stumbling his way into the war room. “Man do I have a splitting headache. What’s in that stuff?”

“Little of this, little of that. Hate to cut this short Papa Bear, but I’ve gotta go. Matty, I’ll check in soon.”

Ros quickly ended the call. The less Jack knew the better because one impulsive Phoenix agent was more than enough to fill her dance card. Looking down at her phone Ros honed in on the blinking beacon indicating her target’s location. 

“I’m coming, Jin.”

*** 

“What do you mean she’s following up on a lead, Matty? She shouldn’t be out in the field alone,” Mac growled.

“I agree. What the hell were you thinking?”

“I was _thinking_ that I was still the boss and made a judgement call based on my field agent’s findings and expertise. Now if you have a problem with that…” Mac and Jack remained silent. “Good. Now as I was saying, Ros found something in the footage, a signature. One she remembered from her CalTech days. If she’s right, pulling this asset out from under Alvarez’s nose will be the key in taking down his whole operation.”

“Where is she now?” Riley inquired. 

“I’d say roughly 1,150 feet up.”

*** 

Walking into the Top of the World restaurant in the Stratosphere Tower did nothing to ease Ros’ anxiety. This was a huge risk and the Phoenix was relying on this little plan of hers going smoothly. Spotting her target Ros calmly waltzed over, taking a seat, and startling the gentleman that was heavily engrossed in his laptop

“I don’t recall you ever liking heights.”

“Ros?” 

“Hello, Jin.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Same as you, taking in the view. Although by the looks of things you’re missing most of it. I’m glad to see you finally stopped drinking the Hollister Kool-Aid and developed a fashion sense. Although that doesn’t excuse the Axe body spray you’re currently bathed in.”

“Ha-ha. If I remember correctly you used to _like_ my body spray,” the handsome young gentleman replied.

“Keywords: used to.” 

Jin snickered.

“You really shouldn’t be here, Ros.”

“And neither should you. I assume your handler is nearby?”

Jin’s eyes slowly shifted to the left and Ros casually followed his gaze.

“Just the one?”

“No.”

“Mmmmm. Makes this a bit stickier then doesn’t it.” Jin’s eyebrows furrowed. “I assume you’re not here on your own volition?”

“Ros,” Jin warned.

“Jin,” Ros challenged. “Your involvement is a threat to national security and borderline treason.”

“What do you care about national security?”

Jin’s voice had taken on an edge that Ros didn’t like.

“I don’t think I need to remind you that my father fought and died for this country.”

“If anything, I think that’d make you hate it even more.”

“It’s about serving the greater good, Jin.”

Jin sighed and hung his head.

“He has Leigh.”

“Where?” 

“You need to leave,” came a menacing voice. 

“I’m having a perfectly nice conversation with my friend here. Is that suddenly a crime Mr. Tall, Dark, and Creepy?”

“I have to get back to work. It was nice seeing you,” Jin answered cooly.

Ros nodded in understanding as she gracefully stood from her chair and turned to leave.

“It was good to see you too.”

“Hey…” Ros halted at the edge of the table when Jin’s hand wrapped softly around her wrist. “Beware the Ides of March,” Jin finished quietly.

*** 

“They’re holding her in room 1544 on the third floor of Caesar’s Palace, I’m sure of it, Matty. And if she’s there so is Alvarez,” Ros urgently imparted into her comms. “Leigh is his insurance policy that Jin holds up his end of the deal.”

“And what is that exactly?”

“When I was at CalTech Jin was working on a software that would be, in essence, a universal lock pick. If I had to hazard a guess, his research has since evolved to where he can open anything remotely and override any surveillance obstacles he may encounter.”

“Like a casino vault.”

“Like a casino vault. Then the counterfeit cash, dropped off by the bogus armored service, makes its way into circulation. No one at the casino is any the wiser because everyone’s legit on paper and where they’re supposed to be,” Ros concluded as she walked through the hotel room door. “I hate admitting that it’s genius, but…” Ros was abruptly cut off when she barreled into a wall of muscle. “Oof!”

“Whoa there,” Mac said as he grabbed Ros around her waist looking her over for any sign of injury. “Sorry.”

“That’s alright, I…uh…wasn’t watching where I was going.” 

“Are you hurt?” 

“Angus, I’m okay, but Leigh and Jin won’t be if we don’t get them out of Alvarez’s grimy clutches.” Ros side stepped Mac so she could grab the gear she needed, making sure to include an I.C.E.R. “Let’s take you for a real test drive,” Ros whispered to herself, sliding the weapon into its holster. 

*** 

“Riley? Bozer? I need you two to keep an eye on things down here,” Mac stated as he and Ros moved toward the elevators.

“You got it. Tapping into the security camera feeds now,” Riley acknowledged.

“Guys? Once you have Jin and Leigh out of harm’s way, I’ll be sending in the Phoenix team to do a little house cleaning. Alvarez won’t be going back to South America anytime soon,” Matty interjected. 

The elevator music only served to grate against Ros’ anxiety. She wasn’t keen on the idea of going in guns blazing so to speak, but little time had been afforded. 

Exiting the elevator Ros caught sight of an abandoned housekeeping cart in the hallway, and smiled devilishly.

“I’ve got an idea.” Grabbing a couple of small bottles from the cart, Ros tossed one over to Mac. “Here. Drink some of that and rub the rest on your skin.”

Mac looked down at the small bottle.

“Vodka?”

“Look we don’t have time for you to make a smoke bomb out of cleaning supplies or a parachute out of bedsheets and electrical cords,” Ros began. “So, this will have to do.”

Stumbling and laughing loudly, Mac and Ros made their way down the hallway towards room 315. 

“How’d you know it was this room anyway,” Mac whispered.

“Beware the Ides of March was the last thing Jin said to me before I left. Pretty sure he meant room 315 in this casino since he was always a bit of a Shakespeare nerd. Seemed to think it would help with the ladies.” Ros shook her head in disbelief at the memory and Mac chuckled quietly.

“You ready?”

“Ready for…” Mac trailed off.

“Just…trust me,” Ros breathed as she wrapped her arms around Mac’s neck. “ _Please.”_

Ros' eyes searched Mac’s as she closed the distance between them, brushing her lips tentatively against his, Ros let her eyes slip shut. Mac tensed briefly before relaxing into the kiss, Ros’ plan finally dawning on him. 

“You think this will actually work?” Mac asked, pulling back slightly, his chest heaving.

“Yes. Now act like you’re drunk and desperate to get laid.”

Mac nodded as he leaned in to seal his lips against Ros’ once more in a heated kiss.

*** 

“Are you seein’ what I’m seein’?” 

Riley smiled wickedly.

“I do believe you owe me a six-pack of beer, Bozer.”

*** 

Ros couldn’t help the moan that escaped her as Mac’s hands gripped her waist tighter and his mouth roved all over her neck.

“Baby don’t you think we should at least get into the room first?” Ros giggled.

“Uh huh.”

“Where’s the room key?” 

“In my back pocket.” 

Ros slid her hand into Mac’s back pocket causing him to buck his hips forward creating a delicious friction.

“ _Mac_ ,” Ros breathed, and Mac stilled.

“That’s the first time you’ve ever--,” Mac began before Ros cut him off.

“Slip the key into the door,” Ros instructed, handing Mac the room key. Banging her head intentionally on the door, Ros moaned with enthusiasm. “The faster you get that door open, the faster you get me out of these clothes.”

Mac was trying desperately to focus on the mission, but he truly felt intoxicated which he knew was something he'd have to unpack later.

“I’m trying, but it’s not working,  _sweetheart_.”

“Let me try.” Ros took the key back from Mac and turned to face the door. Pressing himself closely into Ros, effectively caging her in, Mac pushed the hair away from the base of her neck and pressed his lips reverently to Ros' skin. “You’re making it really hard to concentrate.”

“The key should work in 3-2-1,” Riley stated. 

The lock glowed green, giving a soft beep and Ros smiled triumphantly as she turned the latch, facing Mac once more. 

“Lay it on thick.” Mac smirked at her order and started pushing Ros into the hotel suite. “I thought you’d never get that door open. This is all I’ve been thinking about since we got off the plane.” Ros let her hands run down the front of Mac’s chest, stopping to fumble with his belt.

“Who the hell are you?!” came an angry voice and Ros turned quickly feigning surprise.

“The welcoming committee,” Ros deadpanned before pulling the I.C.E.R. out of its holster and firing off five rounds. “Nighty-night gentlemen.”

“Nice,” Mac acknowledged as he leaned over one of the unconscious guards.

“Thanks. Jin? Leigh?” Ros called out.

“In here!” came Jin’s muffled voice.

Mac and Ros ran into the other room to see Jin and Leigh zip tied together on the floor.

“Are you alright? Where’s Alvarez?”

“We’re fine, but Alvarez is meeting with his buyer, some Russian guy I think, I heard them talking on the phone. The money…and I…I’m so sorry Ros,” Jin lamented.

Ros shook her head while Mac freed Jin and Leigh’s wrists.

“It’s okay, Jin. Riley do you have eyes on Alvarez and Maximov?”

“Yep. 20th floor room 2012.”

“Good. Looks like this will be a two for one deal,” Matty informed. “I've already had our team intercept the phony cash delivery. Great job guys. Make sure Jin and Leigh are taken some place safe and I’ll see you back at the Phoenix.”

 

*** 

“Why are you calling me?”

“Because we’re going to have to move up our time table. James is getting suspicious as to why I haven’t been able to locate you yet,” Jill grit through clenched teeth.

“Must be a familial trait,” Murdoc observed. “I don’t like having to continuously cater to your whims, Jill. It’s rather _inconvenient_. Remember, you need me, but I most certainly don’t need you.”

Jill scoffed at Murdoc’s remark.

“How quickly you forget but let me just go ahead and refresh your memory. If you even want a prayer of ever seeing Cassian again, you’ll do as your told.” 

Murdoc silently seethed; Jill’s warning coming in loud and clear.

“What do you need me to do?”


End file.
